Tulips are a favorite of many perennial bulb gardeners, and for good reason. Tulips come in such a vast array of colors, shapes and sizes and are bound to please almost any perennial flower lover. Tulips are also fairly easy to plant and maintain, and once planted, their color spectacle will last for years.Tulips belong to a genus of approximately 150 different species belonging to the plant family Liliaceae. They were originally native to north Africa and parts of Asia and China. We get the name "Tulip" from the Persian Empire (not Holland, as some may think), and it was the Turks who first brought the Tulip to Europe.
The tulip is a perennial bulb originally from mountainous regions that had temperate climates. They need a period of cold weather dormancy yearly in order to keep blooming, and in warm areas they must be grown as annuals. Some gardeners in warm climates try planting perennial bulbs that need winter dormancy very deep, twelve inches or more, in order to help extend their life, and this may allow you to get more than one blooming period (possibly two or three years instead) if you live in a warm climate. Another option is to dig up your bulbs each season and give them cool treatment in your refrigerator for several months before replanting (if you decide to do this, you need to mark their location well).
Tulips are generally planted in late summer or early fall. You should plant your tulip bulbs between four and eight inches deep, in an area which is moist but also well drained. After the flowers have died down, you should allow the green foliage to die back on its own (do not mow it or chop it down if you want flowers the following year).
For more information on selecting and planting perennial bulbs like tulips, please read my other articles on these specific topics (listed on the right of this web page).
