Perennial tulips: the ones that come back every year

Why do many tulips flower only once?

A tulip bulb is a packed lunch. Everything needed for next year's flower is stored in the bulb in the weeks after flowering — while the leaves are still green.

Many modern garden tulips spend their energy making several small offsets instead of one big bulb. The following year none of them is big enough to flower, and you get leaves only. Gardeners say the tulip has “gone blind”.

It isn't a fault with the bulbs. Many of the most colourful varieties are simply bred to give the biggest show in their first spring.

The tulips that come back

Some types are far better than others at returning. Mostly because they are close to the wild tulips, which are used to looking after themselves.

Less reliable as perennials are parrot tulips, double tulips and many fringed varieties. They're fantastic in their first year — so plant them as “this season's bouquet” and add new bulbs every autumn.

How to plant so they come back

1. Choose a sunny spot. Tulips need at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring to recharge the bulb.
2. Make sure it drains. Winter wet is the biggest threat. On heavy soil, mix grit or coarse sand into the bottom of the planting hole, or plant on a slight mound.
3. Plant deep. 15–20 cm to the base of the bulb — a little deeper than the usual 12–15 cm. Deep bulbs split less and are better protected from frost and summer heat.
4. Give them space. 10–15 cm between bulbs, so they don't compete for nutrients.

Aftercare is what matters most

Next year's flower is made in the weeks after flowering. The leaves work as solar panels, filling the bulb with nutrients.

• Remove the flower when the petals drop — so the plant doesn't spend energy on seed.
• Leave the stem and leaves until they are yellow and withered (usually June). Don't tie them up, and don't mow over them.
• Feed a little straight after flowering. A potassium-rich fertiliser, such as tomato feed, helps the bulb.
• Water in a dry spring, as long as the leaves are green.

The summer rest: keep the bulbs dry

Tulips originally come from the mountains of Central Asia, with hot, dry summers. Bulbs in a bed that's watered all summer rot more easily and split more.

• Plant tulips among perennials that cope without much water in summer.
• Avoid spots you water daily in summer, e.g. between summer bedding.
• In very wet soil you can lift the bulbs in June and replant them in October.

The most faithful: species tulips

Species tulips are the most dependable of all. The flowers are smaller, but the bulbs often multiply year by year and can in time form dense carpets in the border or lawn. More in our guide to naturalising bulbs.

Realistic expectations

Even the best perennial tulips usually flower best in their first 3–5 years. That's why many gardeners plant a handful of new bulbs every autumn — so the display is always full, even when the oldest bulbs take a year off.