Do You Have to Dig Up Tulip Bulbs Every Year?

Whether you need to dig tulips annually or not depends on your climate.

Tulips provide one of the first splashes of spring color, making them popular garden plants. Tulips grow from bulbs--underground storage structures that nurture the plant through dormancy--and need exposure to cold to resume flowering. If you need to dig tulip bulbs annually depends on where you live.

Function

Exposure to cold breaks dormancy and causes tulips to resume growth in preparation for flowering. In areas without a cold winter, you should dig tulips annually and refrigerate them for 12 to 16 weeks before replanting them in late fall, according to the Clemson University Extension, to get more than a single season of flowers from your bulbs.

Frost Tolerance

If your region receives extended periods of cold each winter, you do not need to dig tulip bulbs annually. Although some bulbs, called tender bulbs, need to be dug up and replanted each year in cold regions, tulips are considered hardy bulbs, able to handle the worst weather winter can throw at them.

Considerations

Even if you live in the north, hot summers may limit tulip regrowth the following year, according to the Ohio State University Extension. Planting bulbs up to 12 inches deep keeps them cool and flowering for several years. You'll generally need to dig and separate tulip bulbs every five years to prevent overcrowding, however. If you don't replant them right away, store them in a cool, dark place and replant them in the fall.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Growing Hardy Bulbs
• Clemson University Extension: Spring-Flowering Bulbs