Late June or early July is the best time to dig tulips and spring flowering bulbs in our area. Later digging will mean that the tips have disappeared, and finding the bulbs may be difficult. In good locations, you can leave your bulbs in the same spot for several years. Usually with tulip, daffodils and hyacinths, plant vigor and blooming begins to decline after two or at the most three years. Darwin tulips, especially, need to be reset after two blooming years.

When digging the bulbs, lift them carefully with a spading fork. This should be done when the tops have begun to turn yellow or brown. After the bulbs are dug, sort them according to size. Large bulbs 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter may be used in beds for flowering. Small bulbs which are plump and round with bloom but will have smaller flowers on shorter stems. Bulbs of any size which are flat (slabs) will not bloom the following season and may be planted in a row in the garden to mature.

Save only healthy bulbs. Dry your bulbs well out of the sun and store in shallow boxes in cool dry location for the rest of the summer. Bulbs benefit from such storage and are best reset in September or early October.

This page was last updated May 2003

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