When it comes to garden design, knowing what flowers spread and which ones don’t can make all the difference. Tulips add fantastic variety to your flowerbed, but do they spread? We have done in depth research and have the ultimate answer for you.
Tulips spread through asexual reproduction. Tulips, when planted in the fall, will have 3-4 new bulbs sprouted from each “mother bulb” after a few years. The following seasons will produce more tulips and, in turn, more bulbs. Many gardeners dig up these smaller bulbs and move them to a new spot, so there is proper spacing between the plants.
Tulips are flowers that are favorites in almost everyone’s garden. While these plants are great and relatively easy to grow, it does take a little bit of know-how to make sure that the garden stays lively when these new bulbs arrive. Don’t worry! We’ll tell you everything that you need to know.
Do Tulips Spread?
The short answer to this question is, yes! Tulips are like everything else in nature and have found a way to keep on existing. Spreading is the way that most flowers thrive! While they don’t spread like wildfire, once you plant a few, you will see the number of your lovely flowers multiplying. This multiplication requires some effort on your part.
But, before we get into that, let’s talk about the basics.
How do Tulips Spread?
Tulips are often seen and bought in the form of bulbs, so it can be slightly confusing on how these plants actually spread. Tulips have seeds and can actually be grown from them, although it takes much longer and is much more complicated. The seeds of a tulip are found within the ellipsoid capsol, which is “a leathery covering and an ellipsoid to globe shape”(Wikipedia). Whether they are seeds or bulbs, however, tulips spread by either planting or with some help from Mother Nature.
Spreading Tulips from Bulbs
Once the initial bulb has been planted, which will take place in the late summer/autumn, it will take about one year before any “spreading” has taken place. It is not until after the first bloom that there will be some baby bulbs sprouting off from the main tulip root. There will be 2-5 more bulbs. By taking these smaller bulbs and immediately replanting them a little way apart, the tulips can reproduce.
So, the way that tulip bulbs spread is by forming additional bulbs off of the original.
Spreading Tulips from Seed
To spread from the seed and not from the bulb, the tulip relies mostly on nature. This is similar to almost every other plant life out there. In an article from BBC, we know that plants rely on animals, wind, and water to carry the seed on.
So What Does This Mean for You?
Now we know that tulips are able to spread, how do we apply this to you? Well, unless you are willing to wait several years before you see anything become of your tulips, we will let sleeping seeds lie.
When it comes to bulbs, this means that you need to worry about little to nothing during the first year. You’ll just need to plant and water your tulips in good soil about 8 inches down.
You also don’t have to worry about much spreading if you plan on treating your tulips like they are annuals. Many gardeners have trouble getting their tulips to grow like they want to after the first year, so it is an option to dig up the bulbs at the end of the year and plant new ones.
But, if you want to treat tulips like the perennials they are, you should probably put in some extra effort and cut off the tops of the tulips as they die.
Around August, you can carefully dig up the roots and pull apart the bulbs. They must be replanted immediately to be viable. Try this every other year, or every 3 years for the best results.
How do Tulips Multiply?
Now it comes to the “how” of how tulips multiply. Well, as mentioned earlier on, all life on earth has had to find a way to stay here. Tulips have found that way by being hermaphroditic. This means, in its simplest form, that this flower has male and female characteristics. Basically, the can reproduce by themselves and don’t rely on another organism to help with the multiplication.
If you want to know more about the specific process of asexual reproduction, you should watch " data-lasso-id="4082">this YouTube video. It helps explain a very scientific process in a way that is helpful.
Do Tulips Come Back Every Year?
Tulips are plants that should come back every year. They fall into the category of perennial plants. However, tulips can be a bit stubborn when it comes to coming back after the first year. When trying to get your tulips to come back, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
- Check the labels - Some tulips will have a label on them that says “naturalizing.” This basically means they have been cultivated by special minds to get them to be the best than can be.
- Keep them in the ground - There are some that swear that digging up the bulbs and planting them a little later does the trick, but it doesn’t!
- Cut the heads but not the leaves - After your tulips have begun to droop, it’s time to snip off the heads. But, when doing this, make sure that you don’t cut the leaves. Leaves help with the photosynthesis of the plant!
- Remove bulbs that aren’t producing - Dig up any of your tulips that aren’t doing well and replace them with new ones!
How Much Space Should You Leave Between Tulip Bulbs When Planting?
When planting your tulips, leave 4 to 6 inches between bulbs. This way, when the bulbs take root and grow baby bulbs, they will have plenty of nutrients. Additionally, bulbs should be buried 8-12 inches down to grow properly.
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