The colourful tulip fields attract visitors from all over the world every year. And they will thrive just as beautifully in your own garden. A question that is often asked is: “What should I do with tulips after they’ve finished blooming?” We’re happy to give you the answers. There are three options when your tulips have finished flowering.
1) Leave the tulip bulbs in the ground
We often get the question whether tulips are perennial. The answer is no. Most tulip varieties are not perennial. You can choose to leave the tulip bulbs in the ground. However, in the following year, they will produce smaller flowers or may not bloom at all. Our advice is to remove your spent tulips from the ground and choose new, fresh bulbs each year.
You can replant the spent tulips next year. Which tulips are perennial? Most tulips bloom abundantly only in their first year, but varieties like Angelique, Exotic Emperor, Avignon Parrot, Design Impression, Queensday and Crunchy Cummins are strong growers and may bloom again in following years.
2) Remove spent tulips from the ground and replant them
If you want to enjoy colourful tulips again next year, the following tips will come in handy. Once tulips have finished flowering, remove the flower heads. This way, all the plant's energy goes to the bulb, helping it grow and produce baby bulbs for the next year. If you leave the flowers on, they will form seed heads, which takes a lot of energy and weakens the bulb. Let the foliage die back completely, then dig up the bulbs in July. Peel the bulbs: remove the old skin and separate the large and small bulbs. Store them in a dry place during the summer – for example, in a wooden crate or mesh basket. In autumn, around October, you can replant the tulip bulbs. This way, you’ll enjoy a new tulip display next spring.
3) Remove and discard the tulip bulbs
If you don’t want to keep your spent tulips, you can choose to remove them from the ground and throw them away. This prevents disappointment the next year due to fewer or smaller flowers.
Tip! Once you’ve removed the spent tulips, you can make space to plant dahlias, for example. These will bloom until October or November, after which you can replace them again with tulip or narcissus bulbs. If you still want to keep the tulip bulbs, move them to another spot in your garden or temporarily plant them in a pot or container. This allows the foliage to die back naturally and the bulb to absorb all the energy it needs for next year – just like in option two.
A few strong, perennial tulip varieties:
Most tulips bloom abundantly only in their first year, but tulip varieties like Angelique, Exotic Emperor, Avignon Parrot, Design Impression, Queensday and Crunchy Cummins are strong growers and may bloom again in following years.
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