After Tulips Have Completed Blossoming, What Should You Do?

Tulips, once they have flowered the first year, will never produce the same quality of flowers in the following year. However, they can still provide a splash of spring color. After flowering, remove the seed heads by cutting the flowering stems down and water the remaining leaves with a liquid fertilizer to build up the bulb for next year. Deadheading tulips allows the plant to focus on storing energy in the bulb rather than producing a seed head.

For areas with high rainfall or high temperatures, it is best to lift and store tulip bulbs for planting again in the fall. Once the bulbs have finished flowering, leave the plants for about six weeks. Alan Titchmarsh shares the “best thing” gardeners can do with tulips after they have flowered: allow the foliage to wither naturally to replenish bulbs. Deadhead spent blooms but leave the stems until they turn yellow.

To encourage re-flowering, remove the seed heads once the blooms have faded, allow the foliage to die back naturally, dig up the bulbs about six weeks after blooming, discard any damaged or diseased ones, and let them dry. It is recommended to remove spent tulips from the ground and opt for new fresh bulbs every year. Deadhead tulips by removing the spent flowers and snap off the seed pod. Lay healthy bulbs out to dry, then place them in labeled trays, paper bags, or nets, where they are dry, sheltered from sunlight.

After flowering, deadhead tulips and snap off the seed pod. Wait around six weeks until the foliage turns yellow. Leave the green for a few weeks, as they are storing energy for next year’s bloom. You can lift and store your bulbs if desired or cut off the leaves and let them stay in the ground until it’s time for them to start growing again.