New orders delivered in 2-6 days

(888) 847-8637
Generic filters
Search in title
Search in content
Filter by Custom Post Type
Products
Pages
Posts
Filter by Product Categories
All Bulbs
Allium Bulbs
Apparel
Bulbs for Cutting
Bulbs for Naturalizing
Bulbs for the South
Daffodil Bulbs
All Daffodil Bulbs
Daffodil Blends
Daffodil Bulbs for Naturalizing
Daffodil Bulbs for the South
Double Daffodil Bulbs
Fragrant Daffodil Bulbs
Gold Standard Daffodil Bulbs
Jonquils
Landscape-Size Daffodil Bulbs
Miniature Daffodil Bulbs
Uncommon Daffodil Bulbs
Deer Resistant Bulbs
End-of-Season Specials
Featured This Week
Hyacinth Bulbs
Indoor Bulbs
Amaryllis Bulbs
Paperwhite Bulbs
Peruvian Amaryllises
New This Fall
Paperwhites
Planting Tools
Rodent Resistant
Shade Tolerant Bulbs
Shop by Bloom Time
Early
Early-Mid
Late
Mid
Mid-Late
Very Early
Very Late
Shop by Color
Apricot
Blue
Cream
Green
Lavender
Maroon
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Specialty Bulbs
Color Your Grass™
Crocus Bulbs
Grape Hyacinth Bulbs
Other Spring-Flowering Bulbs
Tulip Bulbs
All Tulip Bulbs
Cubed Tulip Blends
Cut Flower Tulip Mixes
Darwin Hybrid Tulip Bulbs
Double Tulip Bulbs
Perennial Tulip Bulbs
Squared Tulip Blends
Tulip BedSpreads®
Tulip Blends
Tulip Bulb Singles
Wild Tulip Bulbs

Care After Bloom

Most spring-flowering bulbs require no special attention after bloom. If you find the spent flowers unsightly, you can remove them. In the case of tulips, especially perennial tulips, removing the flowers as soon as they fade may also help to encourage the bulbs to bloom the following spring. Simply snap off the top 3 inches of the stems or, for a neater look, cut the flower stems just above the top leaf with a pair of pruning shears. Removing spent tulip flowers prevents seed formation and focuses energy instead on bulb growth.

If you want your bulbs to bloom again next spring, you must allow the foliage to turn yellow and collapse. If you cut the leaves before they yellow, you will prevent the bulbs from storing up the energy required to produce next spring’s flowers. The bulbs must be allowed to complete their growth cycle.

How long will you have to wait? It depends on the bulb. The leaves of most small bulbs, such as crocuses, turn yellow about six weeks after they finish flowering. Tulips generally close up shop within a month after bloom. Alliums are faster still. Daffodils generally need a lot more time. Their foliage often takes a full two months to yellow. You may hear of people who braid daffodil leaves or tie them up, but that is almost as harmful as cutting them because it reduces the amount of leaf surface exposed to the sun. For the health of the bulbs, you must let them enter their summer sleep naturally.

Daffodils aren’t the only slowpokes: Camassia, Spanish Bluebells, and Snowflakes also take a long time to go dormant. Again, you must be patient if you want the bulbs to flower again next spring.

Recommended Articles

Planting and Care Instructions

A paper copy of the Colorblends Planting & Care Instructions is enclosed with every order.
Read More

How to Plant

Planting bulbs is easy. Warning: Your back may disagree with that statement.
Read More