Will Tulips Rebloom The Next Year?

Tulips are perennial plants that can survive winter and grow again the following year. However, some types of tulips have been bred to unfurl the largest, showiest blooms the first spring after planting the bulbs the previous fall. The odds of a rebloom are in your favor when you choose botanical species, cultivated varieties of species, or hybrids bred for naturalization. When a bulb naturalizes, it produces “daughters” beside it. Most tulip varieties, particularly wild species, can indeed regrow and even multiply under the right conditions. However, many of the hybrid varieties cultivated for naturalization are not as successful.

Tulips are naturally perennials coming back year-after-year, but in some circumstances when they do return, they are smaller and don’t blossom as well in their second or third years. This signal to the plant to focus its energy for the rest of the season on developing strong roots for next year’s comeback. Darwin Hybrid, Fosteriana, and Botanical tulips are among the best varieties that reliably keep coming back year after year, offering vibrant blooms.

In general, tulips are perennial flowers, meaning they should be expected to return and bloom year after year. However, in some circumstances when they do return, they may be smaller and don’t blossom as well in their second or third years. This signal to the plant to focus its energy for the rest of the season on developing strong roots for next year’s comeback.

To encourage tulips to bloom again next year, remove the seed heads once the blooms have faded and allow the foliage to die back naturally. Plants are allowed to grow, bloom, and fade away, with hopes they will rebloom the following year.