Garden

[KatieB]

I purchased several containers of blooming tulips at Walmart.  My intention is to plant the bulbs in my yard.  The only problem is that I don't know when to plant them or how deep to plant the bulbs...  Do I wait until the blooms are gone or what?   Does anyone have any information on this subject -- it would be greatly appreciated if you do and would share...

[yellowrose]

Hi Katie, I'm sure someone will be along to give you advice.

I can't grow tulips. They were like a "Welcome, Dinner Being Served" sign

to deer, squirrels and maybe even rabbits. I can't remember what

all I saw eating on them.  

Good luck with yours.  I've been spraying with Invisible Fence this year

hoping to keep animals away.

[2blonde]

Same here.  I had some nice tulips (I had planted them as only bulbs, in the fall of a year), but after the first couple years of blooms,  I watched helplessly every year while the deer had them for lunch.  They'd wait until the buds were close to opening, then chomp them off, leaving just a stem.

[KatieB]

Thanks, I hope someone will give me some pointers.  They were so pretty and I've never seen a color like these...

[yellowrose]

KatieB, those are sooooo beautiful.

[KitTkat]

@KatieB

To successfully plant your tulips, you'll have to do some waiting. The blooms have to be done, and the greens have to die back. Disturbing the bulbs before the foliage dies out can cause the bulb to die. When the bulbs are in this stage, they can be removed from the pot and stored in a cool, dry location until planting time in the fall. They should be planted aprox. 6 inches deep. You can Google "how to transplant potted tulips" for more step by step instructions. Your tulips are beautiful! Good luck!

[PA Mom-mom]

@KatieB Well said @KitTkat Those are great instructions! That being said, I sometimes forgot about my tulip bulbs when I did that. So, sometimes I just plant the tulip out after the bloom was over and the plant begins to die back. I do this with daffys and tete-a-tetes too. They usually come back, but we have a huge squirrel population, and they usually get the tulips. Daffys are poisonous.

[JustJazzmom]

Plant the tulips at the same level they were in the pot. Figure about 8” deep into soil. Tulips in pots are generally forced so the following year they may bloom later than when they were in the pot.

Squirrels & rabbits do like to nibble on either bulbs or the petals. You can use a red pepper spray & dip the bulbs into the solution (pour into a bowl) before planting. If they are in bloom & you are planting them you can spray the petals with the red pepper spray. If there is a heavy rain, you may have to respray the petals after the rain.

Some people put chicken wire over their bulbs on the soil surface. The stems grow through the holes. The chicken wire prevents digging animals from getting at the bulbs.

Where I live, tulips are pretty much considered annuals. They do not come back reliably year after year like daffodils. Enjoy them while you can.

[gardenman]

I've just planted them right from the pot when the blooms fade and been very successful. I think the sooner you get the leaves in full sun, the better it'll be for the plants.

[chessylady]

Here in California, when I have planted tulips in the ground, they bloom the first year. After that, nothing but leaves. Daffodils bloom year after year.