Bulbmeister.COM - Discussions

[TulipManiac]

In almost all of the directions I've seen for planting tulip bulbs, we're told to plant them 5"-6" apart -- followed by the phrase "or closer for a lush look."

Well, HOW close together can I get away with planting them?
The instructions never say.

I presume they shouldn't be touching each other, and I don't want them to crowd each other out, but I have a little plot (5'x10') in the big city (Queens in NYC) and I'd like to get as much in there as possible.

Two notes:

1) I'm talking about varietal tulips - mostly single early and late, Triumph, Darwin Hybrid and historical varieties, not species tulips (which have smaller bulbs, I know).

2) I don't need to worry about leaving them room to spread for future years: I dig them up after the leaves yellow and save or give away the bulbs.

Thanks,
TuMan

[kmirvin]

Dear TM:

This is just my personal opinion, but, since you are digging the tulips, your spacing is not all that important, except that it reflect the concentration you wish to view. Since the plant, itself needs more room to grow than the space would be taken by the bulb itself, I would think 4" apart would be fine. In some locations, you could try them touching together if you think along the lines of groupings, meaning groups might have 6-8 inches between them.

The more bulbs in a space, the higher the water needs. I also would not fertilize according to how many bulbs in tight spacings, but strictly by label directions for square footage.