Tulips and Daffodils

It’s bulb planting season!! November and December are the perfect time to plant!

First up let’s talk about tulips:

Tulips are the spring divas. And although all tulips are considered perennials, certain varieties like the Darwin series are better suited to bloom year after year. I prefer to grow the specialty varieties like doubles, fringed and parrots. They’re showier and bigger then your common tulips. But typically these don’t bloom quite as well year after year. I grow tulips for cut flowers so I treat them as annuals. Tulips to perennialize need to have their leaves die back naturally as that’s their stored energy for the following year.

The way we plant tulips is simple. We have an entire raised bed dedicated to tulips. We dump them in and cover with about 6 inches of dirt. The great thing about tulips is they can be upside down, sideways, and basically touching each other. They’ll figure out a way to bloom. Which makes this a great job for kids because you just need to dig a whole and plop them in. Then you wait till the spring when they start emerging.

Another important factor in tulips is that they get enough cold hours. We actually pre chill our tulips in our cooler for 4-6 weeks to guarantee they have met that requirement by spring. Same goes for the bulbs we sell! This gives them a guarantee bloom in case we have a mild winter. But you know what’s great too? If you don’t have time time to plant them till January just put the bulbs in the fridge till then. That ensures they have the amount of cold and they’ll still have enough time to root and bloom by March. I wouldn’t plant later then that though.

Unfortunately tulips are prone to critters. Moles and voles will eat them from below without you ever knowing till the spring when nothing emerges. One way to combat this issue it to either plant in pots or lay chicken wire underneath the bulbs when you plant. Squirrels can dig from above. The best method here is to either lay some chicken wire on top or plant them a little deeper about 8 inches.

I’ve never had issues with those critters but I do have deer that can devour an entire crop in one night. They prefer to wait for the buds to start emerging but they also will eat leaves. If your house is prone to deer activity the best method to deter them is planting in a fenced area, create a cage or plant in pots that can be kept out of deer reach. It can be a labor of love to keep everything away but it’s well worth it for the color in the spring when we most desire it!

Growing tips:

• Plant 6 inches deep

• Plant as close or far apart as you desire

• Well draining soil

• Full sun

Tulips are one of the first bright and bold flowers to bloom typically in late March.

Now on to daffodils:

Daffodils are your tried and true perennials. Honestly there’s really no reason not to grow them. Each year they multiply and get more and more blooms. Critter proof so no need to protect them! Honestly no animals eat these!! They even can take a little shade which makes them a fun flower for those wood lines.

On the farm we have more daffodils than we would ever need and it’s a sight to see each spring. We grow lots of varieties but offer the more specialty varieties for you to purchase. These are not your common yellow trumpets.

The only real task with daffodils after you plant them is being sure to let the leaves naturally die back before their dormant period each summer. Once they’re yellow you can just mow them back! These leaves give them the energy to bloom the following season.

Growing tips:

• Plant 6 inches deep

• Plant at least 6 inches apart

• Well draining soil

• Full to part sun

Daffodils are the first flowers to bloom for us typically in late February through March!

These two flowers are both a must grow every spring. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!