Tulip Double Late Ice Cream

Planting

• Plant these bulbs in fall.
• If you cannot plant your bulbs right away store them in a cool, dry, dark location, like a basement.
• Plant them with the pointy end up in a sunny to semi-shaded area about 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) deep and 10 cm (4 in) apart.
• Water thoroughly after planting.

Growing

• Plant bulbs with different bloom times together for an ongoing show of colour.
• These bulbs do best in loose, well-drained soil.
• Plant the taller varieties somewhat out of the wind, due to their height.
• These bulbs are suitable for almost every possible application: fields, beds, containers, borders, rock gardens, as cut flowers and for forcing.
• Only water if there has been a dry spell.

Taking Care

• If you have problems with deer, spray the bulbs with deer repellent when the bulbs are 5 cm (2 in) out of the ground and when the flower bud is visible.
• Fertilize your tulips just before blooming with a slow-release fertilizer for the best chance to bloom again next year.
• Deadhead tulips as soon as they die, but do not remove the leaves. The leaves must remain on the plants as the tulip needs the foliage to gather energy for next year’s blooms. After the foliage turns yellow and dies back, it can be pruned off.

Winterizing

• After flowering, the leaves should be allowed to die down. The leaves will gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next year’s show.
• Tulips require a period of cold weather while they’re dormant and resting between shows.
• Most tulips should be treated as annuals, some Fosteriana, Greigii and species tulips are suitable for naturalizing.