By Kim Snowdon

Colorado Master Gardener Emerita

“Daffodils blossom and tulips jostle to the front of the stage in April. I love these early perennials: they may be more modest but they nearly all have that one special quality that a plant needs to transform your affections from admiration to affection – charm.”  (Monty Don, British gardener)

Planting tulips in the fall for spring means delaying gratification, but their cheerful arrival after winter can really lift your spirits.  Species or Darwin varieties, native to Central Asia with climates similar to Colorado, will naturalize and spread year after year by seed, stolons or developing multiple stems. Highly hybridized varieties give a great display once, but if they return the following year, their vigor is generally diminished, so they’re often considered annuals.

September and October are the best months to plant tulips. To create the most impact, plant in clumps or drifts.  Choose a sunny location with good drainage.  Extend bloom time by utilizing microclimates. A south-facing masonry wall warms up earlier in spring, causing bulbs to emerge earlier, while a sunny border might be cooler, meaning later blooms. Amend heavy clay soil with well-aged compost or manure before planting.

Tulips don’t like their feet wet, so avoid low spots where winter snow and spring rain puddle. If you add fertilizer, opt for one specially formulated for our Western soils. Bone meal may not be effective in our alkaline soils. I found that my chocolate Labrador thought bone meal was quite delicious!  

Dig individual holes with a trowel or bulb planter, or dig a large basin, planting several bulbs in that area.  Dig the hole three times the height of the bulb, about 6-8 inches. Place bulbs 4-6 inches apart, though they can be placed closer for a more dense patch, making sure bulbs aren’t touching and remembering pointy end up!  Water after planting to settle soil and eliminate air pockets.  Winter watering is also important.  

If squirrels or other pests (including chocolate Labs!) are a problem, chicken wire placed over the bulbs after planting, anchored with landscape pins and covered with mulch, will foil their attempts to steal! If deer frequent your garden, you might reconsider tulips, one of their favorite treats! I’ve seen it suggested to interplant tulips with daffodils, which are toxic to deer. Having tried this once, I found the tulips came up before the daffodils and were quickly munched! The gardeners at Chatfield Botanic Gardens in south Denver claim Tulipa turkenstanica isn’t  browsed by deer there.  Remarkable!  

After tulips bloom in the spring, leave foliage to die back naturally, helping the bulb to refuel for another year.  

Here are some varieties of perennial species tulips to consider for displays that get better every year!

​Tulipa linifolia – 4-inch stems, bright red flowers.

​Tulipa turkestanica – 8 inches, multicolored, attracts bees.

​Tulipa humilis – suitable for rock gardens, bloom in April and May.

​Tulipa tarda – drought-tolerant variety, yellow star-shaped flowers with white tips, low growing.

 See: https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/fall-planted-bulbs-and-corms/​

Submit gardening questions to csumg2@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-7684. The in-person help desk is open 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 17 N. Spruce St.