- Hardiness
- Zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Average, about an inch a week
- Size
- 6 to 24 in
- Blooms
- Mid to late spring
- Colors
- red, yellow, pink, purple, white
- Planting depth
- 6 inches
Growing tip. Needs a long cold winter, so in zones 8 and warmer chill the bulbs in the fridge for 12 weeks first. Darwin hybrids and species tulips come back best.
When to plant tulip by zone
| Zone | Median last / first frost | When to plant | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3b | May 16 / Sep 25 | Plant bulbs: Aug 28 to Oct 16 | Comes back |
| 4a | May 12 / Sep 28 | Plant bulbs: Aug 31 to Oct 19 | Comes back |
| 4b | May 8 / Oct 1 | Plant bulbs: Sep 3 to Oct 22 | Comes back |
| 5a | May 3 / Oct 5 | Plant bulbs: Sep 7 to Oct 26 | Comes back |
| 5b | May 1 / Oct 10 | Plant bulbs: Sep 12 to Oct 31 | Comes back |
| 6a | Apr 29 / Oct 16 | Plant bulbs: Sep 18 to Nov 6 | Comes back |
| 6b | Apr 22 / Oct 22 | Plant bulbs: Sep 24 to Nov 12 | Comes back |
| 7a | Apr 16 / Oct 25 | Plant bulbs: Sep 27 to Nov 15 | Comes back |
| 7b | Apr 5 / Nov 1 | Plant bulbs: Oct 4 to Nov 22 | Comes back |
| 8a | Mar 29 / Nov 7 | Plant bulbs: Oct 10 to Nov 28 | Too warm |
| 8b | Mar 16 / Nov 14 | Plant bulbs: Oct 17 to Dec 5 | Too warm |
| 9a | Mar 2 / Nov 26 | Plant bulbs: Oct 29 to Dec 17 | Too warm |
| 9b | Feb 1 / Dec 9 | Plant bulbs: Nov 11 to Dec 30 | Too warm |
Zones 10 and warmer have little or no frost. There, plant cool-season plants in fall and warm-season plants from late winter.
Similar bulbs
Ornamental onionFull sun · Zones 4 to 8
Asiatic lilyFull sun · Zones 3 to 9
DahliaFull sun · Zones 8 to 11
GladiolusFull sun · Zones 8 to 11
CannaFull sun · Zones 8 to 11
Dwarf irisFull sun · Zones 5 to 9More for your zone: zone 3 bulbs, zone 4 bulbs, zone 5 bulbs, zone 6 bulbs, zone 7 bulbs.
Frequently asked questions
What zone does tulip grow in?
Tulip is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it struggles with the winter. Find your zone by ZIP code.
How much sun does tulip need?
Full sun. Full sun means at least six hours of direct sun a day; part shade means about three to six.
Hardiness ranges, light and size are typical figures from university extension services and botanic garden plant records; a named variety can differ, so check its tag. Planting dates come from each zone's median frost dates (NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals) and the timing rules in how we check.