Tulip Garden Update: March 13, 1998 (2024)

Special Thanks To Tulip Expert MaryHockenberry Meyer for providing her time andexpertise in responding to your questions.

For additional information about Tulips and more, trythese sites:

• The University of Minnesota's HorticulturalScience Department & Arboretum
• Master Gardener Page
• Mary's Teaching Courses andBooks

Q. Why can a tulip bulb freeze under the soil during the winter and still bloomin the spring? Is it because the temperature under the ground is always warmer than20 degrees?

A. Yes, you are correct! The air temperature is much colder than the soil temperature.The soil temperature near the surface may be 32 degrees in the winter, but does notvary much from that, especially if the ground is covered with snow. A local weatherstation may be able to give you actual soil temperatures so you can look at the variation( or lack of) day to day in the winter. The tulip bulbs do not freeze, if it didget to 20 degrees they would freeze and die.

Q. How many tulips can grow from one bulb? Why?

A. Usually just one. Some species may have more than one flower bud in the bulb,or over time multiple, or side bulbs may form, but usually with tulips, one flowerper bulb. Why ? Probably genetically, the bulbs tend to just form a single stem,not like daffodils which often have side bulbs or offsets.

Q. What is going on inside the bulb while the tulip is growing?

A. Lots !! The stored sugar and starch is being converted to usable "food"for the growing plant cells. The bulb gets smaller and the leaves and flower getlarger and we see it above ground. After flowering, the reverse happens: as the leavesmake new sugar and starch, it is stored in the bulb and the bulb gets bigger andbigger as the flowers fade and finally the leaves turn brown. That is why it is importantfor the foliage to be left on until it naturally dies, so all the food can be storedfor next years flower.

Q. Does the color of the tulip affect the health?

A. No, not normally, however, if you find a tulip with stripes or streaks of yellowor red, that plant may have a virus disease. Some people like the streaked flowersand years ago, when they were first found, people paid alot of money for these bulbs,but today we know this is a virus and usually doesn't affect the health of the bulb.

Q. Why do daffodils grow faster than tulips?

A. Daffodils seem to have more energy than tulips, they flower often earlier andhave more foliage, and their bulbs often last longer. I think in part this has todo with more foliage and thus more food is produced and stored. Dffodil bulbs tendto live longer, just genetically they are different !

Q. How come the ones that sprouted first did not bloom first?

A. Good question !! I do not know why. Perhaps the first to flower are the strongestbulbs, with the largest amount of stored food.

Thanks for your questions !! Talk to you again soon.