Dear Midge,
Oh how I love tulips as well, they are such a beautiful sight after a long winter! Tulips are technically considered a perennial but often times they need to be treated as an annual. By that I mean you can dig them up in the fall, store them and replant them in spring (as you would with gladiolas). Depending on what zone you live in, you may have to wait a bit longer for your first bloom after getting them back into the soil.

Tulips need well drained soil. If you need to work on your soil to accomplish this, simply add sand and compost and work through the soil. Don’t forget that tulips love full sun!

Here’s some other tips for growing tulips:

~If you are adding tulips in with other perennials, add in the other plants first. Doing it this way will prevent you from possibly harming the tulips bulbs with a shovel or trowel.

~Any perennial lover wants to see their plants to come back year after year. Tulips (as well as any other bulb plant) do best in sandy soil, planting them in a sandy environment will help to ensure constant growth and flowering in later years. For best results, plant your bulbs in the fall (October or November) or before the ground freezes. When planting the tulip bulb, you should measure down about 3 times the length of the bulb and then cover over with adequate soil.

~Tulips are pretty tough and disease resistant but can get “tulip fire.” If this happens, stems and leaves become deformed and stunted in growth. Later on you might see brown patches. If tulip fire occurs that bulb should be discarded.

~Spacing out your tulips will help your bulbs to prosper, overcrowding can cause problems. If you find your bulbs are overcrowded wait until just before all of the foliage has completely died down, divide smaller (new) bulbs from the base of the old bulb and replant them a further distance away.

~After your plant has flowered it’s ok to “deadhead” but be sure to allow the leaves to die off naturally. If you don’t like the look of the fading greens, try braiding the leaves for a different appearance in your garden.

~Tulips make excellent cut flowers and usually last about a week in a vase. Don’t forget to add a little sugar to your water to prolong the life of your bouquet.

I hope this helps you tend to your tulips and keep them blooming!

Love ya, Molly

The following tips are courtesy of gardeningtips.org.