How to Grow Tulips as a Cut Flower

While many people are used to growing Tulips in their landscaping and flower beds, growing Tulips specifically as a cut flower to be displayed in a vase requires a completely different method and mindset!

What is the difference between growing Tulips for landscaping vs Tulips for cut flowers?

Great question! Let’s compare/contrast the two methods:

Landscape Use

Function = to look beautiful outdoors in the garden or landscape
Treated as a short lived Perennial
Bulbs are spaced 4-6 inches apart, usually using a bulb planter
Bulbs are replaced or refreshed every 2-3 years as they decline in quality and vigor
Plants are allowed to grow, bloom and fade away, with hopes they will rebloom the following year (but with awareness that most bulbs need to be replaced every 2-3 years).

Cut Flower Use

Function = to look beautiful in a vase or arrangement
Treated as an Annual
Bulbs are spaced tightly, like eggs in a carton
Bulbs are replaced every year
Entire plant is harvested before it blooms. Stem/bloom is removed from the bulb and placed in a vase. The bulb is discarded.

2. Why can’t I just cut the Tulips in my landscaping and use those in a vase?

You can… however, to get a long enough stem, you’ll likely need to cut the stem at ground level.

As you can see in the photo below, some Tulip types are naturally shorter and you’d have to cut them off at the bulb in order to get a usable stem.

When you cut the bloom and stem away from the bulb, the bulb has no way to photosynthesize and re-energize itself. While the bulb may produce leaves/foliage the following spring, it’s unlikely it will ever bloom again.

Trust me on this. I didn’t believe this was true and was determined to prove it wrong. After cutting 400 Tulip blooms off at the soil level, I left the bulbs in the ground to see if they would eventually rebloom. And they did… I finally got 2 tiny, pathetic blooms… 3 years later. 3 years!!!!

It’s usually a waste of time to try to replant bulbs that have been separated from the stem. It’s best to compost them.

3. WAIT! I thought Tulips were Perennials and came back every year?

Well, some do (sort of) and some don’t…

There are many different varieties of Tulips and some are better than others at naturalizing/perennializing.

Tulips are native to Central Asia (Turkey, Iraq, Russia) and thrive in climates that are similar - hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. There are very few climates in North America that can mimic these conditions required for naturalization.

These 3 varieties are most likely (but not guaranteed) to naturalize if the climate is right: Darwin Hybrid Tulips, Emperor Tulips, Triumph Tulips.

It’s helpful to know that the Tulips grown for cut flower use are specifically bred to perform as an Annual - they bloom once, then the bulbs are discarded/composted.

Most botanical gardens replant their Tulips bulbs each year to achieve a stunning display each spring. Many parks/public spaces choose Darwin Hybrid, Emperor and Triumph Tulips, but replace the bulbs every 2-3 seasons as they decline in quality.

4. Can I grow Tulips in pots?

I find conflicting information about this. Many bulb suppliers strongly discourage growing them in pots, while others say it’s ok. However, most sources agree that bulbs grown in pots are subject to much more stress than bulbs planted in the ground (since they have less protection from the elements) and should be discarded after they bloom.

5. Are there any Tulips that will give me the best of both worlds? A landscape flower AND a cut flower?

Yes. Darwin Hybrid Tulips (like “Apricot Impression”, “Mystic Van Ejke” and “Pink Impression”) and some Single Tulips often have very tall, long stems reaching over 24”. It’s possible to harvest a 10-12” stem for the vase while still leaving nearly all the foliage/leaves on the stem (which is required if you want the bulbs to rebloom the following year).

Most other Tulip varieties are too short to harvest a usable stem while also leaving enough foliage behind. Also remember, cut flower Tulip varieties are bred as Annuals, not Perennials, and will not reliably rebloom even if they are not harvested.

The photo below shows where the bloom would need to be cut in order to leave enough foliage on the stem for the bulb to generate. This short stem length is unacceptable for most growers.

6. How do I plant Tulip bulbs that I intend to harvest for cut flowers?

Let me show you! When you’re growing for cut flower use, you can plant Tulip bulbs MUCH closer together. We nestle them together closely, like eggs in a carton. This allows you to grow a lot of Tulips in a small space and the close spacing encourages the Tulips to grow long, straight stems.

The photo below is about 100 Tulips bulbs. You can see for yourself how many bulbs you can easily fit into a small space!

Most people use the “Trench Method” when growing Tulips as cut flowers, instead of digging a separate hole for each bulb.

Here’s how it works:

Dig a trench about 6 inches deep
Place the bulbs in the trench, spacing them like eggs in a carton
Cover the bulbs with the soil. Water in well.
If your climate receives sufficient rain and snow over the winter, no extra watering is necessary. If not, a few deep waterings over the winter/early spring will be required.

On our farm, we use the “Temporary Raised Bed Method”:

Rake the soil surface smooth
Build a temporary raised bed on top of the soil. Sides should be 6-12” high.
Place the Tulip bulbs in the raised bed, like eggs in a carton
Fill the raised bed with compost or compost/soil mix. Water in well.
If your climate receives sufficient rain and snow over the winter, no extra watering is necessary. If not, a few deep waterings over the winter/early spring will be required.

When Tulip harvest is over, disassemble the bed and spread out the compost/soil where needed.

Because of the extremely high vole pressure on our farm, we take extra steps to ensure that our bulbs are completely enclosed and protected from marauding rodents. You can read all about it HERE: How to Protect Your Tulips from Voles.

7. How do I harvest Tulips for cut flowers?

Ok, here is the strangest part about growing Tulips for cut flowers…

You don’t EVER want to see a single Tulip in bloom in the field! Yes, that’s right, your #1 goal is to harvest every bloom BEFORE they open.

Why?

Tulips that are already open will have a shorter vase life (3-5 days) Instead, you want to Tulip to open up AFTER it’s in the vase, not before. Tulips that open in the vase will have a 7+ day vase life.
Tulips that are harvested before they are open can be stored in a cooler or refrigerator for 1-2 weeks before being used. This is especially helpful when there is a heat wave and all the Tulips ripen in 1-2 days, instead of gradually ripening over 7-14 days. It happens. ;)

When the blooms are just starting to color up, but not open yet, it’s time to harvest. Pull the entire plant, bulb and all, out of the ground. With the food source still attached (the bulb), the blooms can be stored dry for about 2 weeks.

To store the blooms in your fridge or cooler, bundle the blooms in newspaper. Place them upright in a bucket (no water) or lay them flat (bundling helps keep the stems straight). Keep them in the dark to prevent bending toward light (“phototrophic”)!

When you’re ready to use the Tulips, snip off the bulb, strip off the lower leaves and wash the stem clean. Place the stem in clean water and it will gradually begin to open up.

If the stem feels floppy or limp, do not panic! Follow the instructions above, but also wrap the stems tightly in newspaper to keep them upright. Within a few hours, the stems will be straight and the paper can be removed.

Fun fact! Tulip stems keep growing after they have been cut. If you notice your Tulips look taller in the vase than they did yesterday, you’re not crazy! They actually did grow. Simply give them a trim every few days.

TULIP PLANTING SUmmary

WHEN TO PLANT: Plant Tulip bulbs in the fall when temperatures begin to drop (soil temperatures below 60 degrees F), usually late September to November.

PLANTING SITE: Tulips do best with full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Tulips require well-draining soil. They may rot in wet, heavy soils.

WHEN TO WATER: Water deeply once after planting the bulbs. Water moderately in the spring if the soil is dry. During the blooming season, water every 3-5 days if there is no rainfall.

PLANTING WIDTH & DEPTH: Decide if you are going to plant the Tulips for landscape display OR cut flower use.

Landscape Display: If growing for landscape display, plant the bulbs 4-5” apart and about 5-7” deep. The rule of thumb is to plant the bulbs 3x as deep as the bulb is high. Plant the bulbs pointy side up.
Cut Flower Use: If growing for cut flower use (harvesting the blooms to display in a vase), plant the bulbs closely nestled together (but not touching) and about 5-7” deep. The rule of thumb is to plant the bulbs 3x as deep as the bulb is high. Plant the bulbs pointy side up.

AFTER BLOOMING (Landscape display Tulips only): After the Tulips have finished blooming, it’s important to allow the plants to die back naturally. This is how they gather energy to bloom again the following year. Allow the leaves/stems to completely die back and turn yellow before clearing away debris.

To summarize…
If you want to enjoy Tulips in your landscaping AND you want them to rebloom the next season, I don’t recommend harvesting them for cut flowers (unless you are growing Darwin hybrids and you want to sneak a few blooms for bouquets).

Instead, plant your cut flower Tulips in a dedicated area, treat them as an Annual flower and enjoy them in the vase!