Conditions for Planting Tulips

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen on behalf of Expert Village. Tulips can pretty much grow anywhere that there's sun or part shade but there's a few extra guidelines we should follow so that you can find out the best conditions to grow them. Tulips prefer really good drainage. So when you're putting them directly in your soil, there are a few guidelines you should follow. Make sure and use real airy compost. You don't want to put them in thick clay where they're just going to sit; they need room for their roots to grow and for them to dry out in between watering. Raised beds are probably the best place that you can plant your tulip bulbs. They've got a little bit of height on them so that when the water drains, it drains away from the bulbs and that, I found, is the key to having success with them to come back year in year after year. And also if you put them in your raised beds with your lily's and your cala lillies and canna lillies that you're planting in the summertime, you're going to water them in the summer 'cause there's nothing worse than planting a tulip in the corner of your yard letting them grow in the spring and then never watering them again. I found in Portland area when we get really hot summer days they're going to heat up and you're going to lose them 'cause they'll just dry out, they'll cook, whereas maybe in Seattle where its a little bit shadier and a little bit rainier generally, you can probably get away with watering them a little bit less. But the best conditions for a tulip is the same conditions for a Lilly. Good drainage, enough sun and plenty of room to grow. In our next segment we'll talk about how to plant tulip bulbs in a container."