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Growing and caring for tulips is both fun and rewarding. Not only are tulips beautiful, but they are also a hardy flower. Tulips are resistant to most diseases and can grow in virtually any climate. Tulips are at their best from the fall until about the time the time foliage starts to die off. Though some effort is required to plant and care for tulips, and then to dig them back up for the spring and summer, tulips are an excellent flower for those seeking to start a garden. Those without green thumbs can become acquainted with their new gardens with tulips because planting and caring for tulips teaches about proper planting, watering and garden owners will keep in practice through the care of the flower.

So you’ve decided to take on the tulip challenge and add tulips to your garden. Tulips are simple to care for, but there are some things you will want to keep in mind when adding them to your garden. Here are the items you will need to plant and grow your tulips along with some interesting and helpful facts about this wonderful flower.

Things you’ll need

Choosing your tulips

Tulips come in an amazing variety. If you are just starting with tulips,or just getting started with a garden, try to choose a tulip that is native to the area and not exotic. Native varieties of tulip will allow your flower to have a better chance to thrive. Native varieties have natural immunities to the conditions in their area. Your local hardware store or department store will most likely carry common varieties of tulips that should be easy to grow in your garden. You will want to pick a tulip with a small amount of bulbs, especially if you have limited garden space. IF there are less bulbs, the tulips will have a much easier time growing and flourishing as there is less bulb for the flower to support.

Environment

Tulips like sandy soil, so make sure your garden has a good mixture of sand to ensure your tulips have a good foundation to start. When planting, make sure that the tulips are spaced apart well enough to give room to grow and thrive. Try 4-6 inches apart or more if possible. You will want to make sure that while choosing a location for your tulips that you choose an area that is not prone to flooding and drains well. Fungus is a major enemy of tulips and excess moisture can ruin your garden. An Ideal planting situation for tulips is around 8 inches deep.

Tools

  • A good solid hand hoe or small shovel is more than enough to get your tulips planted. Once fall begins, the ground in most locations is soft enough to allow for easy planting.
  • Watering cantor-a small cantor for watering is both cheap and easy to store.
  • Fertilizer-special bulb fertilizer is available and works very well with tulips

Care and planting

After you choose your area and have your tools ready, make sure to fertilize the ground where you plant your tulips. A small amount will suffice when you plant the tulips. Once your hole is fertilized and you have planted your tulip, make sure to water it after patting down the soil around the flower. Proper watering is required immediately to make certain tulips get the best start as possible. Regular watering is required for your tulips as well, but it should be done to ensure water doesn’t collect and cause a fungus issue.

Tulips should be planted early in the fall, or late in the summer if your climate is mild. Tulips are known as perennials and thrive in chilly weather. If the tulips are planted at the correct time, they will be able to spread out and extend their roots. Deep roots growth allows the tulips to thrive and survive the winter time. Tulips can be unplanted when summer time comes and can be stored for the next year. This can be a hassle for some gardeners or novice growers, but it helps to reinforce good habits and allows for more practice with planting than many other flowers.

Tulips can also be kept in pots or plantars. Although the ground is the ideal place, with proper care and a watchful eye, tulips can do well in a pot. As long as the bulbs are kept to a minimum, say one plant per pot, a tulip can actually thrive in a pot or plantar as there aren't any other plants or flowers to compete with for resources.

Interesting “buds” about tulips

  • Tulips are actually native to Central Asia and love colder weather, making it one of the few flowers that stays beautiful for parts of the winter.
  • The tulip was first to brought to Europe sometime in the 1500’s
  • Tulips are the only flower that rivals the rose in the “Valentine’s day” season
  • There are reportedly 3000 varieties of tulip
  • Red is the most common and popular tulip