Get expert tips on what to do with tulip bulbs after flowering so they’ll rebloom next spring.
Key Takeaways
- Remove spent tulip flowers, allow foliage to naturally yellow for 4–6 weeks, and apply slow-release fertilizer.
- Avoid soggy soil to prevent bulb rot; plant tulips in well-drained areas, and skip heavy mulching.
- Dig up and store bulbs in cool, dry conditions if summer rains are heavy, and replant in fall.
Tulips quickly sprout from the ground and show off vividly colored blooms while most other plants have barely started waking up in spring, but what should you do with tulip bulbs after flowering and they’re starting to look scraggly? That depends mainly on the type of tulips they are and where you planted them. Find out what experts recommend to encourage tulip bulbs to bloom again next year.
Meet Our Expert
Keegan Nesvacil is the co-founder of Woodland Tools. Peggy Anne Montgomery is a horticulturist representing Flowerbulb.eu.
Which Tulip Bulbs Rebloom?
While all tulips are perennials, some are better than others when it comes to blooming again next season. Many modern showy tulips struggle to do much in their second year, which is one reason why many people grow them as annuals, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try.
Tips
- Darwin hybrids, species tulips, waterlily tulips, and Greigii tulips are among the most willing to be permanent features in your spring landscape.
Forced Tulip Bulbs: Don’t Bother
In late winter and early spring, many of us buy tulips already sprouted in a decorative pot or a foil-wrapped plastic container. They flower in a week and provide us with some needed indoor cheer. These bulbs have been forced to bloom outside their natural timeframe.
Plus, they are often planted too tightly together. They’re all right without much space short-term because the energy they need to grow and bloom is already in the bulb, but they usually won’t continue to grow well if planted after they flower. These forced tulip bulbs are best relegated to the compost pile after blooming.
Bulbs in the Ground or Containers
You have a good start if you purchased tulip bulbs and planted them in the ground last fall at the correct depth and spacing. Bulbs properly planted in pots may also be coaxed to bloom again.
According to Peggy Anne Montgomery, a horticulturist representing Flowerbulb.eu, the after-bloom care is similar for tulips in containers and in-ground plants. Because all tulips, even those in pots, need some time to recharge after blooming, they can occupy space you may not have. That’s why she prefers to treat tulips in pots like annuals.
“I don’t like to tie up my containers while the tulips naturally die back. I use tulips as annuals in my pots and compost them when I’m ready to plant my containers for summer display. Tulip bulbs compare favorably in price with other annuals,” Montgomery says.
If you plan on growing tulips as annuals, you don’t have to do anything to them after they bloom other than dig them up and toss them in the compost pile. However, if you have the space, proper care of tulips that bloom this year can keep the bulbs going from year to year.
Caring for Tulips After Flowering
Tulips are bulbing plants that store energy from this year’s growth to bloom again the following spring. Their treatment this year strongly determines the success of next year’s flowers. There are three key tips for helping your bulbs come back strong.
Tips
- Tulips are deer candy. If they are munched down, they won’t be able to store energy in their bulbs to flower next year. Plant tulips in a fenced area if deer are a problem.
Remove the Spent Flowers
Like all flowering plants, a tulip is trying to reproduce. After the petals fade and fall off, the rest of the flower parts remain to create the seeds.
“It’s best to remove the spent flowers so the plant’s energy doesn’t go into producing seed,” Montgomery explains. With no seeds to produce, energy from photosynthesis is channeled down to the bulb, where it is stored for the following year.
Montgomery points out that if you’re growing tulips as annuals, there’s no need to remove the blooms, and you can compost the entire plant.
Leave the Leaves
Like daffodils, hyacinths, and other bulbs, tulips need their leaves to soak up some sun after blooming. This energy will fuel next year’s flowers.
“Allow the foliage to fade naturally,” says Keegan Nesvacil, the executive vice president and co-founder of Woodland Tools. “It can be tempting to go crazy with pruning immediately after the tulips finish flowering, but we recommend allowing the foliage to yellow and wither before removing it. This can take between four to six weeks.”
Nesvacil also points out that after blooming is a good time to support the plant with nutrients. “Apply a balanced, slow-release bulb fertilizer right after flowering. This boosts the bulb strength and helps the tulip perform well season after season, especially for varieties like Darwin hybrids.”
Maintain Good Drainage
Tulip bulbs in the garden may rot if the soil is kept too wet. To avoid this, Nesvacil says to “Keep the soil light and dry, as tulips dislike soggy soil. Make sure you plant tulips in well-drained areas and avoid heavy mulching.”
If your yard is flat, low, and poorly drained, consider planting tulips in a raised bed or berm to facilitate drainage.
Tulip Bulb Storage
While tulip bulbs are often left in the ground, those planted in pots or areas with heavy summer rains may benefit from being dug up and stored until fall planting time. “If you live in a climate where the garden is soggy after the growing season, we recommend removing the bulbs from the soil after the foliage fades, allowing them to dry, and storing them in a cool, dry place until the fall,” says Nesvacil.
Don’t forget to label them, and set a reminder to replant your tulip bulbs in autumn so they can get the cold treatment during winter that they need to trigger blooming.
