Tulips grow from bulbs. Little leaves nurse a baby bud in the center of each bulb. The white bulb that looks like an onion covers the bud, and provides it with all the nourishment it requires in order to sprout and grow. Tulips grow easily and all you have to do is water the tulip generously, keeping the soil moist.

Tulips require summer sunlight so as to mature next years flower buds. But they also need the winter cold to rest in order to emerge again the following spring.

You may find it difficult to keep unplanted bulbs over winter. Wait till evening temperatures are about 50 degrees before you put the bulbs in the soil. You should also put nutrient rich compost through the soil before starting to plant the bulbs. Tulip bulbs can grow in almost any sort of soil, but the bulb lift will be bigger if your soil is richer. Also have good drainage to keep the bulbs healthy.

You should plant bulbs with distance between them. If you are looking at a compact display, you can plant tulip bulbs closer together. The root side of the bulb is rounded, while the part that opens and sprouts is pointed.

The stem should be snipped or the blooms should be deadheaded after tulips have flowered, at the end of the season. But you should let the leaves die naturally. The bulb, at this time, absorbs nutrients it requires for growth the following year. After discoloration, you can remove the foliage to prevent tulip fire, which poisons the soil.

One bloom creates a good-sized bulb as well as two smaller offshoots that you can discard. Allow lifted bulbs to dry naturally. You can then store them inside an airy container in a cool place, such as net produce bags or burlap sacks. This ensures that they get good air circulation.