Tulips are a beloved spring flower, but one RHS gardener has shared her ‘brutal but true’ tip for tulip care after flowering in May – and it’s sparked quite a debate online
Making one mistake with your tulips could ruin your garden displays (stock photo)(Image: Cyndi Monaghan via Getty Images)
Tulips can bring a vibrant burst of colour to your garden during spring, but there’s one crucial mistake you must avoid making with them in May, or you could completely ruin your display. Once tulips cease flowering, they ought to start the process of dying back and withdrawing into their bulb.
However, as they’re perennial plants, they should return again next year if you simply leave them undisturbed. But according to one professional gardener, that’s actually the worst approach you could take. Emma Jo Real-Davies, a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gardener, revealed she’s been cultivating tulips in her garden for years, and if there’s one thing she never does with her flowers, it’s leave them alone.
The gardener explained that while tulips ought to regrow the following year, she’s never experienced success with this method, and has discovered that her plants either fail to return, or they’re “weak” when they do. In a TikTok video, she revealed: “Your tulips won’t come back next year. It’s brutal, but it’s true.
“Tulips are perennial, and although they might come back next year, they’ll probably be weak and pathetic.
“They put so much energy into flowering in their first year that they use it all up, so you can leave them in their pots, but they’ll probably look [droopy and lifeless].”
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Rather than leaving them to fend for themselves come May, Emma advised that gardeners ought to dig up their tulips once flowering has finished and add them to the compost heap. If you’re keen to cultivate more tulips next year, she suggested it’s far simpler to purchase fresh bulbs and begin the process anew, rather than relying on your existing ones to return.
Viewers responding to the video held varying opinions on the matter. Some backed Emma’s guidance and reported they’d experienced disappointing results with tulips themselves, while numerous others insisted they’d been successfully growing tulips from identical bulbs for as long as 37 years.
One person said: “I’m all for this! I want to reuse most of my pots, so I can’t be bothered waiting for them to wilt away. Get ’em out and get rid and there’s more of an excuse to buy more.”
Another added: “Mine came back but without flowers.” But someone else disagreed, arguing: “Absolute rubbish. We have had the same bulbs flowering for over 37 years!”
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Tips for growing tulips
1. Choose the right tulips
Different tulip varieties aren’t identical. Various types will need distinct growing conditions, including soil composition and sun exposure, and you may also discover that certain species bloom earlier or later than others.
Darwin Hybrid tulips: Tall, classic “big” tulips that cope well outdoors and often come back for a few years.Triumph tulips: Sturdy stems, good in borders and containers, wide colour range.Species tulips: Smaller, earlier, and often the best for naturalising (coming back and multiplying).Parrot/Fringed/Double tulips: Dramatic, but can be heavier-headed and more likely to flop in wind and rain.
2. Plant at the right time
In the UK, autumn represents the optimal period for planting tulip bulbs, preferably between October and November. This allows the bulbs sufficient time to establish themselves in the soil and develop roots ahead of spring. Avoid planting your tulips prematurely, as doing so can heighten the likelihood of fungal diseases and decay.
3. Care for your tulips properly
The majority of tulip varieties require full sunlight, meaning at least six hours daily, and well-draining soil that doesn’t retain excessive moisture. Over-watering represents a frequent cause of bulb rot, so bear these guidelines in mind regarding watering:
In the ground: You rarely need to water in autumn/winter.In pots: Water after planting to settle compost, then only water when the top few centimetres dry out.
4. Prepare for the following year
After the blooms have faded, you ought to remove the flower head to prevent the plant from expending energy on seed production. Allow the foliage to remain until it naturally dies back, which typically takes approximately six weeks.
This approach will enhance your flowers’ prospects of returning the following year, though many gardeners continue to regard modern tulips as “plant and replace” blooms, since their performance can decline after the initial year. This might prove particularly problematic if your soil is heavy or waterlogged, so ensure you determine whether you’ll try to re-grow your tulips or remove them once flowering has concluded.
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