Planting tulips, daffodils and crocuses: when, how deep, how many

Spring-flowering bulbs go in in autumn: daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths from September to October, tulips from October to November, until the ground freezes. A bulb goes two to three times its own height deep (tulips and daffodils about 12-15 cm, crocuses 8-10 cm), tip up, at least twice its width from the next. Between perennials, 20 small, 8 medium and 4 large bulbs per square metre are enough. After flowering, leave their leaves on for six weeks.

Updated: October 28, 2026 · Prices checked: October 27, 2026 · Data and prices from our plant database, worked out for your country. How our data is made

A spring bed with tulips, daffodils, crocuses and grape hyacinths, and below it a cut through the soil with their bulbs, the small ones shallower, the large ones deeper — What you plant in autumn flowers in April: small bulbs sit shallower, large ones deeper.

When to plant?

Spring bulbs need a winter: without weeks of cold they do not flower. So they go into the ground in autumn, to root before the frosts. Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and grape hyacinths can be planted from September to the end of October; the earlier the better, as their roots start early.

Plant tulips later, from October to November, once the soil has cooled. A tulip planted in warm, wet soil can shoot too early and rots more easily. As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant in December what you missed in autumn. A tulip planted late hardly roots in the cold soil and flowers more weakly, but a bulb forgotten in a drawer will have dried out by spring.

Do not plant dry bulbs in spring: without a winter they flower weakly or not at all. Potted tulips, hyacinths and daffodils sold in flower in spring, however, can go out into the garden after flowering: daffodils and hyacinths recover within a year or two, but do not expect much from forced tulips.

Which bulb flowers when?

Plant one from each flowering time and the garden flowers from February to June: winter aconite and crocus push up through the snow, then come Grecian windflower, grape hyacinth, hyacinth and daffodil, in April and May tulip and crown imperial, and last camassia and ornamental onion.

Winter aconite

Flowering: February–March, yellow
Height: 8–15 cm
Planting depth: 5-8 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 20 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Crocus

Flowering: February–April, purple, white, yellow
Height: 8–15 cm
Planting depth: 8-10 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 20 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Grecian windflower

Flowering: March–May, blue, purple, pink, white
Height: 10–20 cm
Planting depth: 5-8 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 20 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Grape hyacinth

Flowering: March–May, blue, purple, white, pink
Height: 15–25 cm
Planting depth: 8-10 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 20 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Hyacinth

toxic

Flowering: March–May, blue, purple, pink, red, white, yellow, orange
Height: 15–30 cm
Planting depth: 12-15 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 20 pcs
Year after year: weakens year by year

Daffodil

toxic

Flowering: March–May, yellow, white, orange, pink
Height: 15–75 cm
Planting depth: 12-15 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 8 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Garden tulip

toxic

Flowering: April–May, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple
Height: 20–75 cm
Planting depth: 12-15 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 8 pcs
Year after year: weakens year by year

Crown imperial

Flowering: April–May, orange, yellow, red
Height: 0.9–1.2 m
Planting depth: 20-25 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 4 pcs
Year after year: weakens year by year

Great camas

Flowering: April–June, blue, purple, white
Height: 0.8–1.2 m
Planting depth: 10-15 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 4 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Ornamental onion

toxic

Flowering: May–July, purple, white, pink
Height: 0.4–1.5 m
Planting depth: 15-20 cm
Between perennials, per square metre: 4 pcs
Year after year: comes back and spreads

Bulb	Flowering	Height	Planting depth	Between perennials, per square metre	Year after year
Winter aconite	February–March, yellow	8–15 cm	5-8 cm	20 pcs	comes back and spreads
Crocus	February–April, purple, white, yellow	8–15 cm	8-10 cm	20 pcs	comes back and spreads
Grecian windflower	March–May, blue, purple, pink, white	10–20 cm	5-8 cm	20 pcs	comes back and spreads
Grape hyacinth	March–May, blue, purple, white, pink	15–25 cm	8-10 cm	20 pcs	comes back and spreads
Hyacinth toxic	March–May, blue, purple, pink, red, white, yellow, orange	15–30 cm	12-15 cm	20 pcs	weakens year by year
Daffodil toxic	March–May, yellow, white, orange, pink	15–75 cm	12-15 cm	8 pcs	comes back and spreads
Garden tulip toxic	April–May, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple	20–75 cm	12-15 cm	8 pcs	weakens year by year
Crown imperial	April–May, orange, yellow, red	0.9–1.2 m	20-25 cm	4 pcs	weakens year by year
Great camas	April–June, blue, purple, white	0.8–1.2 m	10-15 cm	4 pcs	comes back and spreads
Ornamental onion toxic	May–July, purple, white, pink	0.4–1.5 m	15-20 cm	4 pcs	comes back and spreads

The table shows the bulbs sold as bulbs that are planted in autumn and are hardy in an average winter. The number per square metre is our garden planner's rule for scattering them sparsely between perennials; a dense patch of bulbs alone takes several times as many.

How deep and how close?

The base of the bulb goes two to three times its height below the surface, tip up. In loose, sandy soil rather deeper, in heavy soil rather shallower.

Depth: the base of the bulb goes two to three times the bulb's height below the surface, small bulbs rather three times or a little deeper. A bulb planted too shallow stops flowering in its second or third year.
Which way up: the tip of the bulb up, the flat, rooted base down. On a Grecian windflower tuber you cannot tell which is the top: soak it overnight and plant it on its side; it finds its way.
Spacing: set bulbs at least twice their width apart. Plant them in groups of 7-15, not in rows: a single tulip gets lost, a patch shows from afar.
Between perennials: scatter bulbs among the summer-flowering perennials, where the soil is still bare in spring. By the time the bulbs' leaves start to yellow, the perennials have grown up and hide them.
In the lawn: crocuses, grape hyacinths and daffodils can go into the lawn too, where they spread year after year. Mow only once the bulbs' leaves have turned yellow, about six weeks after flowering.

Where to plant?

Somewhere free-draining: a bulb rots in standing water. On heavy clay, put 2-3 cm of coarse sand or fine gravel at the bottom of the hole.
In sun or part shade. You can plant under deciduous trees and shrubs too: bulbs flower before the trees are in leaf, while the sun still reaches the ground.
Tulips like a sunny, warm spot that is dry in summer best; there they come back most reliably year after year. Daffodils and crocuses take part shade and lawn well.

Planting step by step

Dig over the soil and take out perennial weeds. Mix in a little ripe compost; keep fresh manure away from bulbs, as it makes them rot.
Dig one shared, shallow hole for the patch (quicker than one per bulb), or use a bulb planter.
Set the bulbs in the hole, tips up, cover with soil and firm it gently.
If the autumn is dry, water once, deeply. After that no watering is needed; winter rain and snow are enough.
Mark the spot with a stick or label so that you do not dig into it in spring before they come up.

Voles, mice and pets

Voles and mice readily eat tulip and crocus bulbs, but mostly leave daffodils alone because of their bitter, poisonous content. Where there are many voles, plant tulips in a wire bulb basket or between wire mesh with holes of about 1 cm, or choose daffodils.

Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and ornamental onions are poisonous to dogs and cats; they are marked in the table. Winter aconite, crown imperial and Grecian windflower are not harmless either. Where the dog likes to dig, grape hyacinth is the better choice, which our data lists as non-toxic.

After flowering

Pinch off faded tulip and daffodil flowers above the leaves so they do not set seed: the bulb grows stronger.
Leave the leaves on until they yellow by themselves, about six weeks, and do not tie them: the leaves feed next year's flower. Then you can cut them off.
For good flowers next year too, give them a potassium-rich liquid feed from when they shoot until the leaves yellow, at the dose on the pack.
Garden tulips weaken year by year, and in the second year often hardly flower. Darwin hybrids, Kaufmanniana tulips and species (wild) tulips come back most reliably. You can lift the others once the leaves have yellowed, keep them through summer in a dry, airy, warm place, and plant them again in autumn.
Daffodils, crocuses, grape hyacinths and ornamental onions can stay where they are and spread year after year. If a patch becomes crowded and flowers less, lift and divide it once the leaves have yellowed.

Bulbs in pots and tubs

In pots, bulbs can go close together, almost touching: a 45 cm tub takes about 12-20 tulips. Mix a quarter of fine gravel or coarse sand into the compost, and keep the surface about 2.5 cm below the rim.
You can plant in layers too: the large, deep bulbs at the bottom (tulip, daffodil), the small ones above them (crocus, grape hyacinth). That way the same pot flowers for weeks.
In winter, stand the pot by the house wall in a sheltered spot, and do not let the compost dry out. Bulbs grown in a pot flower less well in their second year, so it is worth planting new ones every year and planting the old ones out in the garden.

Sources

The advice rests on these expert pages and laws, adapted to Central European winters and soils. The tables come from our own plant database.

Natur im Garten: Jetzt Blumenzwiebel für den Frühling setzen
Bayerische Gartenakademie: Letzte Chance für späte Pflanzungen im Garten
RHS: Bulbs: planting
RHS: How to grow tulips

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