No, tulips do not need to be lifted every year. Tulips will do fine being in the ground through the winter although it is a good idea to lift bulbs every 3 or 4 years to separate the bulb clusters. Pros and Cons of a South-East Facing Garden?
This of course begs the question “When should tulip bulbs be lifted?”
Here is what we stumbled across. however tulips are best dug up and left to dry out. Some tulip bulbs are not winter hardy, hence in cold climates those bulbs should be lifted and stored to be used the next season. After flowers have finished, cut off the spent flower stems but do not cut back the foliage.
When can I Divide my tulip bulbs?
For this reason, you should try to divide your tulip bulbs in midsummer to midfall, after all of the energy storing foliage has died back and the tulip has the best chances of having enough energy stored to survive both the move and the winter. In order to lift your tulip bulbs out of the ground, you will probably need to dig fairly deep.
What do you do with tulip bulbs after they bloom?
After flowering the leaves are still feeding the bulb. If you remove the leaves the bulb won’t “ fatten up” It doesn’t take long for the leaves to die away naturally. If the tulips are in a pot and you want to reuse it for summer plants, you can lift the bulbs in a lump and drop them into spare ground or a temporary home in a spare pot.
Some tulip bulbs are not winter hardy, hence in cold climates those bulbs should be lifted and stored to be used the next season. After flowers have finished, cut off the spent flower stems but do not cut back the foliage.
Eventually, the old bulbs stop producing and the new bulbs take their place. Over time, too many new bulbs cause a crowded bed and the tulips flower poorly. The bulbs need to be dug up and divided about every three years, or when they stop flowering well. Dig them up in early summer or in fall before frost.