Can I plant more tulips now?

[GrumpySock]

I really love them. It is the first time I planted something and they are beautiful. I did plant them late (Feb I think) so do you think I can give them another go or it won't work?

No, tulips planted now will not flower this year, that is if you can even find any bulbs to buy.

You can plant some more in November.

For now, try some summer bulbs. You can get a whole load of bulbs which will flower this summer if planted now.

What are you supposed to do with tulips one they’ve flowered? Also if I get some summer bulbs can I plant them next to the finished flowering tulips?

After they've flowered let them die down naturally, this will feed the bulbs for next year. Then you can either dig them up and keep them or you can just leave them in the ground. Yes, you can plant other bulbs there too.

They might have dried up a fair bit by now; there will be no harm in getting these planted, but I'm not sure if they'll build up their reserves to flower next year.

No, they won't flower now and probably won't survive till next year.

Tulips are not reliably perennial. Some are, in the right spot... but many aren't. You're best planting them in winter every year to guarantee the best blooms. If you get ones that come back that's a bonus.

Leave tulips to die down when they've finished flowering. You should deadhead them once three petals have fallen off. The leaves need to turn brown and crispy so all the energy goes back into the bulb.

You plant the bulbs in late autumn and they flower in the spring. You can't plant them now. If you want bulby indoor stuff you can do hyacinths and amarylis in the winter.

Plant in late autumn up to December.

So I’ve ordered some summer bulbs if I put them near the tulip bulbs would that give them enough room to grow? Sometimes I’ve dug a hole to plant a bulb and found another bulb there, surely you’ll eventually run out of space!?

Yes, I find the same, but if we want to add the display, we just have to make it work the best we can. If I unearth another bulb when planting and haven’t damaged it, I just pop it back in. If I’ve nicked it, or otherwise damaged it, I throw it away.

Yes 😂 But you just plant more.

I'm forever digging up bulbs when I'm planting. But I always plant more in autumn, so it balances out. In spring I always make a note of what I need to buy and where to plant it to get the effect I want next year. So this year, for example, I know I need more white daffodils at the back, and more blue crocuses around the patio. And alliums rarely come back in my soggy clay soil, so I always plant loads more.

I’m new to this malarkey and it’s so confusing! I have a lot to learn.

Don't sweat it. It will only take a neighbours tree reaching full height, a bit of disease or unseasonable weather and the garden gives AWOL anyway.

If you've got a small garden it's years before you get the right mix of plants, plots, space etc. Then you move or get too old to maintain it.

Enjoy.

Thank you so much everyone for your comments. All very helpful as I'm just leaning. Some summer bulbs have just arrived and will be planted this weekend. Hope they are as successful as the tulips.

What summer bulbs have you got OP? Focus on them for now.

I love tulips, so much reward for relatively little work. You will be bombarded with ads for tulips in the autumn, then you only have to decide which ones you want. It's probably the most difficult thing about growing tulips, there are only about 8 million to choose from! 🤣