Tulips are a common flower for cut flower growers to have blooming in our fields every Spring. Tulips are one of the first flowers to bloom, coming out right after Narcissus, Hyacinth, Fritillaria, Muscari, and other spring bulbs. People also love them, and it’s not hard to sell a bunch of beautiful tulips to both big and small stores. So why would we decide to cut tulips out of our growing plan on our cut flower farm?.
For a number of reasons, including the time and work needed, the money lost, and the waste that comes with growing tulips, we are no longer growing them. Please read this if you want to know if it’s worth it to grow tulips on a flower farm or if it’s profitable to do so.
Tulips are a classic spring flower that brighten up gardens and bouquets alike. Their cheerful blooms in shades of red yellow white and purple can turn any space into a breath of fresh air after a long winter. But what happens to those lovely tulips after you cut them for bouquets? Can the bulbs be replanted for next year?
The short answer is no—most tulip bulbs cannot successfully be replanted once the blooms have been cut off. But why is that, and are there any exceptions? Read on to learn the reasons behind the tulip replanting dilemma, and explore a few alternative options for enjoying cut tulips sustainably.
Why Tulip Bulbs Can’t Be Replanted After Blooms Are Cut
Tulips make up some of the most popular cut flowers thanks to their gorgeous cup-shaped blooms and long, straight stems perfect for arranging. But cutting tulip stems prevents the bulb from being able to grow back the following season. Here’s why
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Tulips use energy from their foliage to store food in the bulb for next year’s blooms Removing foliage prevents this process
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Cutting the bloom off prevents the plant from being able to complete its natural growth cycle and go dormant.
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Bulbs that are forced to expend energy blooming year after year eventually exhaust themselves.
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Commercial cut flower tulips are bred to bloom once and are not bred to be perennial.
Some tulip varieties like Darwins are long-stemmed and can be cut high above the foliage, allowing the leaves to still fuel the bulb. But most other tulips have such short stems that cutting removes essential foliage, dooming rebloom efforts.
Options for Enjoying Cut Tulips Sustainably
While cut tulip stems can’t be replanted, there are a few eco-friendly options for enjoying tulips as cut flowers:
Plant Species Tulips for Naturalizing
Some tulip species like Darwin Hybrids, Emperor and Greigii are better suited for perennializing in gardens. These can be cut sparingly without destroying their rebloom potential. Focus cutting blooms of other varieties.
Designate Sections of Beds for Cutting
Rather than cutting tulips scattered throughout your garden, designate certain sections solely for cutting blooms. Clear out bulbs after bloom season rather than trying to get them to rebloom.
Grow Tulips in Pots or Raised Beds
This allows you to provide ideal drainage and refresh the bulbs yearly. Place pots near entryways to easily cut blooms.
Treat Tulips as Annuals
Replant tulip bulbs every fall. While not the most sustainable option, it ensures beautiful blooms year after year. Mark spots with plant labels to rotate planting locations.
Plant Extra Bulbs Just For Cutting
If you want lots of tulips for bouquets, devote a garden bed or row just for cut flowers. Plant densely, cutting blooms early and clearing bulbs promptly after flowering.
Buy Tulips From Local Growers
Support sustainable growing practices by buying from local farms and businesses. Ask where and how their tulips are grown.
Opt for Tulip Varieties With Long Stems
Darwin Hybrids, Single Late Tulips, and species like Greigii and Fosteriana have taller stems that allow for cutting blooms while preserving foliage.
How to Cut Tulips From the Garden for Bouquets
When selectively cutting tulips in your garden for bouquets, follow these tips:
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Choose blooms that are fully colored but still closed. Blooms open faster with shorter vase life.
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Cut stems on a warm day after morning dew has evaporated.
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Use clean, sharp pruners or flower snips when cutting. Avoid yanking stems.
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Make cuts on an angle to provide more surface area for water intake.
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Ideally, cut stems to around 20 inches long for arranging.
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Immediately place cut stems in clean water after cutting.
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Recut stems and replace water every 2-3 days for longest vase life.
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Remove any foliage that will fall below the water line in the vase to prevent rotting.
Caring for Tulips After Blooming
To help tulips in your garden thrive and potentially rebloom, allow foliage to yellow and die back completely after blooming finishes. This feeds the bulb. Water periodically if rains are lacking. Mark spots carefully so you don’t accidentally dig up fading foliage.
Finding Sustainable Cut Tulip Sources
If you want to enjoy cut tulips often without damaging your garden plants, shop from responsible growers. Here are some ideas on where to buy cut tulips sustainably:
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Local flower farms that focus on field-grown, seasonal blooms.
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Farmer’s markets offering regionally grown flowers and plants.
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CSAs that deliver seasonal freshly cut flowers.
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Online organic flower shops offering sustainably grown options.
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Neighbors or contacts that grow tulips using conscientious practices.
The Takeaway on Replanting Cut Tulips
While most tulip bulbs can’t rebloom after being cut for bouquets, you can still find eco-friendly ways to enjoy their lovely blooms as cut flowers. Focus on planting species tulips that can be selectively cut from. Or designate sections solely for cutting to prevent damaging your garden plants. Buying locally grown, seasonal tulips is another great option.
The key is sourcing tulips sustainably from growers who don’t sacrifice rebloom for cut flowers. With some careful planning, you can have gorgeous tulip bouquets each spring without generating excess waste from bulbs. And always handle your garden tulips carefully after blooming to give them their best shot at thriving year after year.
5 Ideal Tulip Varieties for Cutting Bouquet Blooms
When selecting tulips to cut for bouquets, some varieties are better choices than others. Here are 5 top options for cutting blooms without damaging the rest of the plant:
1. Darwin Hybrids
Darwin tulips have tall, sturdy 24+ inch stems perfect for cutting. Blooms are enormous and exotic looking. Great picks are ruffled ‘Purple Prince’ and fringed pink ‘Cummins’.
2. Single Late Tulips
Single late blooming tulips have a classic tulip shape with long, straight stems. Bi-color varieties like ‘Menton’ and vivid red ‘ excellence’ make vibrant additions to arrangements.
3. Fosteriana
One of the tallest tulips, the Fosteriana has big blooms on 20+ inch stems. ‘Princeps’ has brilliant orange blooms, while ‘Red Emperor’ is a stately magenta.
4. Greigii
Greigii tulips are known as “waterlily tulips” for their ruffled, pointed petals. These have 16 inch stems and arrive late in tulip season.
5. Kaufmanniana
Sometimes called “water tulips”, Kaufmannianas open early with vivid white, red or yellow blooms on 12 inch stems. ‘Giuseppe Verdi’ has striking red petals.
Tips for Cutting Tulips From Your Garden
Follow these tips when selectively cutting tulips in your garden for bouquets:
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Choose blooms that are still closed and firm for maximum vase life.
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Make cuts with clean, sharp tools to avoid damaging other plants.
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Cut tall stems on an angle to allow more water uptake.
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Immediately put stems in clean water after cutting.
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Recut underwater every few days to prolong vase life.
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Avoid cutting off more than 10% of blooms to prevent harming rebloom.
Caring for Tulips After Flowering
Once tulips finish blooming, it’s important to:
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Allow foliage to yellow and die back naturally to fuel next year’s bloom.
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Keep soil moist if rainfall is lacking while foliage is still present.
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Mark spots carefully to avoid accidentally digging up bulbs.
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Allow soil to thoroughly dry out once foliage has died back.
Sustainable Sources for Cut Tulips
To enjoy cut tulips without generating excess waste, buy from responsible growers like:
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Local flower farms growing seasonal blooms.
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Farmers markets with regionally grown flowers.
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Flower CSAs using sustainable practices.
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Online organic flower shops.
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Neighbors who use conscientious growing methods.
Key Takeaways
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Most tulip bulbs cannot be replanted after blooms are cut due to loss of foliage.
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Choose species with long stems to selectively cut some blooms.
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Designate areas of your garden just for cutting to prevent bulb damage.
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Always buy cut tulips from sustainable sources, not traditional florists.
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Allow foliage to die back naturally after blooming for strongest rebloom potential.
once a tulip bloom is cut, it cannot be cut again
Will tulips grow back every year? Yes, but a common misunderstanding is that they are perennial and will grow back every year with beautiful flowers to cut. That’s true for tulips that are left alone and never cut, like in landscape plantings. But if you cut a tulip bloom, it will grow a worse bloom the next year. So, if you want to grow tulips for cut flowers, you have to take the bulbs out of the ground and plant new ones every year.
There’s another catch with growing tulips. If you plant tulips in the same spot every year, they will get a disease called “tulip fire.” “Tulip fire is terrible for flower production, and you can’t get rid of it once it’s in the soil.”
Hardware cloth surrounds tulip bed.
fall tulip plantings interfere with other important tasks
Planting tulips year after year in the Fall is an unbelievable amount of time consuming, hard work. Around the same time that we plant tulips, we dig up dahlia tubers, which is a big job on our farm, and dahlias come before all other late fall/early winter tasks. We are also preparing annual beds for winter and cover cropping parts of our fields if the weather is mild enough for seeds to sprout at this time.
During the fall, we plant tulips along with other fall bulbs like narcissus, hyacinth, allium, and peonies. Except for a few types of alliums, these bulbs are perennial, which means they will grow back every year with little work on your part. It would be better for me to plant these things just once and get many harvests from them. It’s true that narcissus and alliums can’t match the beauty of a fancy double tulip, but wait, there’s more to say about this tulip thing.
Tulip Aftercare In Pots! What To Do When Flowering Is Over | Balconia Garden
Are tulip bulbs replanted?
Tulips themselves are not often replanted. It is the bulbs, which, after being stored in a fresh place, are put back in the ground to give again tulips. We have written an article on planting tulip bulbs. To summarize quickly, tulip bulbs are planted with the tip up. They are buried 2 to 3 times their height.
How do you replant tulips?
Replanting tulips is a fairly simple process. The first step is to dig up the bulbs carefully. Use a spade or garden fork to loosen the soil around the bulbs and then gently remove them from the ground. The bulbs should be stored in a cool, dry place until the following spring.
Can you grow tulips from cut flowers?
As we’ve learned here, you cannot grow tulips from cut flowers. However, you can grow tulips from bulbs in your garden or in a pot. You’ll have success if you do this the right way. Spending just a few minutes dividing and replanting bulbs each year ensures that you’ll have cheerful blooms to look forward to come springtime.
Can tulips grow without a tulip bulb?
Without the tulip bulb, there cannot be roots. While tulips can grow from seed, it takes at least 3 years. Planting bulbs in the fall for spring flowers is a much better option. Now you know planting bulbs is a must if you want tulips, you should know the proper way to go about it.