I have even seen tulip buds lie flat to the ground after a late freeze, and then perk back up. Other bulbs behave similarly. It is not advisable to try covering them. You risk doing more harm than good by bumping or moving the emerging shoots while they are cold.
If you have a spring snow or freeze, what will happen to your tulips? The plants should be fine at 20 or 25 °F. Below those temperatures, any frozen part of the plant will be damaged and not able to make food for next year’s bulb.
Will cold weather kill tulip buds?
Most will not be fazed by limited periods of cold weather, says Steve Zwiep, Parks Department supervisor for the city of Holland, Michigan, home of the annual Tulip Time Festival. “We’ve had snow a foot deep and packed around the tulips. When the snow melted, the tulip buds were fine and ready to go,” Zwiep says.
Tulip flower buds are not harmed by snow, sleet, or overnight low temperatures, but once the flowers open, they can be damaged by round-the-clock freezes that last for several days.
Why don’t my tulips bloom in the winter?
The flowering stems and buds are independent of leaves and require a certain number of cold hours to form, so they are not as likely to emerge in a winter warm spell as foliage. I have even seen tulip buds lie flat to the ground after a late freeze, and then perk back up.
So, should I cover tulip bulbs in the winter?
You see, if you have tulips or other bulbs in bloom, it might be wise to cover them, or cut the blooms to enjoy indoors in a vase. The flowers may appear to have withstood the cold without damage, but as the flower stalk thaws, it may become soft and droopy, and be unable to support the weight of the bloom.
If you are taken by surprise, and your tulips and lilies are damaged, don’t despair. You will likely lose this year’s blooms, but they will continue to store energy in the bulb to return to their regular blooming cycle next year.
How do you keep tulip blossoms from falling off?
“You can also use a sprinkler to spray water on the flowers to prevent injury, as growers in Florida do to protect the blossoms on fruit trees, ” he adds. The Holland, Michigan, 2011 Tulip Time Festival will be held May 7 to 14 and will feature parades, celebrations of the city’s Dutch heritage and culture, and 6 million tulips.