Tulips Not Blooming

Question:

The leaves on my tulips under my lavender bush appear every year but not the flowers. Can anyone tell me why and what I can do? Should I dig them up and plant new ones?

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Thanks!
Kathy from Bloomington, IN

A:

Kathy,

Since your tulips are coming up year after year but are failing to bloom, they are either not getting enough sun, or you're removing last season's foliage before it is naturally dying back. Is your lavender bush providing them with too much shade? Tulips prefer full sun, so I would recommend moving them to a sunnier location in the fall or after the foliage has fully died back. When you plant them in a new site, make sure you plant them at the correct depth in nutrient-rich soil with plenty of drainage.

I would also recommend adding a little liquid fish emulsion to the site early next spring. Most tulips come to the end of their productive cycle after a few years, so if after you move them and fertilize them this year, you find them repeating this flowerless scenario next year, I would try your luck with some different bulbs.

Good luck!
Ellen