Want to have your neighbors stop in their tracks with a “wow” expression on their face? Plant a few hundred tulip bulbs in your landscape! Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can grow as short as 4 inches or as high as 28 inches. They flower in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue.
I love tulips. Why you might ask? Well, they are just plain gorgeous, especially when planted closely together in large groups. They are inexpensive, as you can buy 100 tulip bulbs for around $20-$30 dollars and they come back year after year. For a little investment, you can have a showy landscape for well under $50.00, plus a little work on the homeowners end to plant.

The best time of year to plant tulip bulbs is mid to late Fall. If you order your tulips from a magazine, the companies usually ship the bulbs when it is the ideal time to plant them. The tulip bulbs are usually the size of a half dollar coin and can easily be planted in the ground with a not so special tool called a battery powered drill. You can buy a 1.5” auger bit that will fit in a ½” drill for usually around $15.00 or less at your local hardware store. Simply drill into the ground down 6”, drop the tulip bulb in the hole, and cover up the hole with dirt and mulch. That’s it!

Come Spring, your landscape will be the highlight of the neighborhood with bright, brilliant showy flowers!