Pretty Tulips that Come Back Every Year

Tulips, Tulipa, Naturalizing, Spring Bulbs

Tulips for Naturalizing, Tulips that come back, Best Tulips, Naturalizing Bulbs, perennial Bulbs, Perennial Tulips

Many tulips are not strongly perennial, and their floral display tends to decline from season to season. They bloom well the first year but then peter out after a few years. Their large bulbs split into smaller bulbs that may not have the same flowering power or are simply non-productive. Instead of one large, stately bloom, two or three smaller flowers will pop out of the ground. Plantings that don’t have enough energy will send up a mass of green foliage and no bloom.

But if you select the right tulip varieties, plant them in the right spot, and provide the proper care, you can be rewarded with a magnificent spring display year after year.

Some tulips are better suited for naturalizing or perennializing than others.

Botanical tulips and their cultivars will multiply in number year after year.
A few border tulips, like the Darwin hybrid tulips, Fosteriana tulips, and Kaufmanniana tulips are known to rebloom reliably.

Guide Information

Hardiness	3 - 8
Plant Type	Bulbs, Perennials
Genus	Tulipa
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Early, Mid, Late)
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Average
Soil Drainage	Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics	Cut Flowers, Showy
Tolerance	Deer, Rabbit
Landscaping Ideas	Banks And Slopes, Beds And Borders, Underplanting Roses And Shrubs
Garden Styles	City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

1 - Choose the Right Tulips

2 – Plant your Tulips Properly

Tulips like fertile, well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly acidic and plenty of sun – at least six hours a day. They need plenty of water from fall to late spring when they are in growth.
If the fall has been dry, water your tulips immediately after planting to get the roots started.
Planting tulips deeper in the soil (four times the bulb’s height) can help keep them coming back. This protects them better from deep frosts and fluctuations in temperature. Their bulbs are less likely to split into 2 or more small bulbs.
Avoid planting too early in the season. Wait until mid to late fall, when daytime temperatures are in the 70s (20ºC), and nighttime temperatures are in the 40s (4ºC).
Apply compost.
Ensure the bulbs don’t get too much moisture when they’re dormant in summer. Plant your tulips in a site you will never water over the summer to avoid bulbs rot.
Don’t cut your Darwin or Fosteriana tulips to make fresh bouquets. Removing their stems depletes their energy-storing ability. Wait until the flowers start dying back, then cut off the flower heads 1 in. below their base so the plant doesn’t put energy into seed production. This rule does not apply to the species tulips as you want to let them self-seed and multiply.
Let the foliage die back before removing it, which can take 6-8 weeks.

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.