Tulips are a short-lived flower that can bloom for less than three weeks – but there is a quick and easy five-minute job that can be done to ensure they last longer
Tulips, the stunning spring bloomers, are sadly known for their fleeting beauty, often wilting within three weeks. However, gardeners can extend their vibrancy into the next year with a simple five-minute trick. Gardening expert Monty Don has revealed that deadheading tulips before they finish blooming and enter dormancy can lead to larger and healthier flowers in the following year.
In his blog, Monty advises: “If you have tulips growing in borders, deadhead them once they are past their best.” He explains that this practice halts seed development, ensuring all the plant’s energy is directed towards forming new bulbs for the subsequent year’s blooms.
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Remarkably, no special gardening tools are required for deadheading tulips; it’s as easy as pinching off the wilted petals with your fingers.
Monty instructs: “The best way to deadhead them is simply to snap off the spent flower with the growing seed pod using your fingers.”
This technique not only prevents the tulip from expending energy on dead flowers but also enables the plant to store more energy, resulting in a stronger resurgence and a more bountiful display of flowers come next spring.
It’s crucial, however, to avoid touching the stem or leaves, as these parts of the tulip are essential in fuelling the flower’s growth for the upcoming year.
Tulips utilise their leaves to generate energy, so trimming the foliage could jeopardise the plant’s ability to regrow the following year, reports the Express.
Even when the plant is wilting or turning brown, refrain from cutting back the leaves as the decaying foliage aids in nourishing the bulbs for next year’s blossoms, ensuring they return stronger.
Monty advised: “Do not cut back the stem or any of the foliage as this will all contribute to the growing bulbs as they slowly die back.
The simple act of deadheading tulips and leaving their foliage untouched can assist gardeners in achieving a spectacularly blooming garden next spring when the tulips start flowering again.