How to Care for Tulips That Are Already Bloomed

Tulips look their best when planted in drifts.

Tulips need no special care while in bloom, but there are a few things you can do once the flowers fade that encourage another year of flowers. Tulips bloom using nutrients absorbed by the bulb in the previous season. The care you give them after blooming determines the quality of next year's flowers. Hybrid tulips are bred for perfect, colorful, cup-shaped blossoms, but they don’t rebloom reliably year after year like other spring-flowering bulbs. Many gardeners dig them up and replace them annually.

Things You'll Need

• Annual flowers (optional)
• Bulb fertilizer

Instructions

1. Cut out the flower stems once they fade so that the plant directs its energy toward nourishing the bulb rather than producing seeds.

2. Allow the tulip foliage to remain in the garden after flowering so that the bulbs absorb nutrients essential for next year’s blooms. After it turns completely yellow or brown and pulls away easily, remove it.

3. Hide the unsightly dying foliage by planting annuals among the tulips once the flowers fade.

4. Fertilize the tulip bed in the early fall with a bulb fertilizer according to the label instructions. Bulb fertilizer contains nutrients encouraging root growth and helps extend the bulb’s life.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t tie, braid or bundle the dying foliage. This restricts the bulb’s ability to absorb nutrients.

References

• "The Flower Gardener's Bible"; Lewis Hill et al.; 2003
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Tulips as Garden Perennials
• Yardener: Caring for Tulips
• Purdue Extension; Clean up Bulbs to Encourage Next Year's Blooms; B. Rosie Lerner; May 2004