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When to plant tulips in Ann Arbor: 6 October – 30 November

In Ann Arbor, tulip: plant from 6 October to about 30 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include The Farm at Trinity Health - Ann Arbor (farm shop, 9 km) and Growing Hope Center (farm shop, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

The date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Tulip in Ann Arbor: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -6.8 °C.

Planting6 October – 30 November
First autumn frost5 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -6.8 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring23 March
Daylight11:33 on 6 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:05

The same dates in Ann Arbor hold for Garlic, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth.

Tulip in Ann Arbor: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant tulips at a depth of two to three times the bulb’s height, at least twice the bulb’s width apart, pointed end up (RHS). Where winters are very cold, tulips benefit from deeper planting to protect them from frost penetrating the soil (RHS); here the average daily temperature drops below 0 °C in winter.

In Ann Arbor the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 weeks a year (our estimate from ten years of monthly weather). For this bulb Wisconsin Horticulture Extension gives a cold period of 15–17 weeks at about 2–10 °C. The winter here gives that in the ground, so the bulbs need no pre-chilling.

Border tulips often fail to flower in their second year if left in the ground, so many gardeners grow them for one spring and plant fresh bulbs each autumn; Darwin hybrid and Kaufmanniana tulips reflower more reliably (RHS). Soils that stay wet in summer make reflowering difficult (RHS): in Ann Arbor the three warmest months bring about 266 mm of rain together.

Grey squirrels often dig up tulip bulbs: lay chicken wire over the bed until the leaves appear, or plant daffodils among them, which squirrels avoid (RHS). Tulips are toxic to dogs, cats and horses, the bulb most of all (ASPCA).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, ASPCA.

Tulip in nearby cities

Around Ann Arbor, Lansing is 3 days earlier and Cleveland 16 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Detroit58 km8 October – 7 December2 days later
Lansing82 km3 October – 29 November3 days earlier
Grand Rapids174 km4 October – 29 November2 days earlier
Fort Wayne176 km3 October – 10 December3 days earlier
Cleveland191 km22 October – 23 December16 days later
Columbus266 km3 October – 25 December3 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Ann Arbor

Planting stock goes into the ground from 6 October to about 30 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Ann Arbor OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 2 plant nurseries, 10 markets and 5 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Ann Arbor?

In Ann Arbor, tulip: plant from 6 October to about 30 November. Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

When is the last spring frost in Ann Arbor?

Last spring frost around 28 April, first autumn frost around 5 November.

Other crops in Ann Arbor, with their dates