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When to plant tulips in Burlington: 4 October – 23 November

In Burlington, tulip: plant from 4 October to about 23 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Gardener's Supply Company (garden centre, 1 km) and American Meadows (garden centre, 7 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 Burlington: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -8.4 °C.

Planting4 October – 23 November
First autumn frost3 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -8.4 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring17 April
Daylight11:36 on 4 October
Daylight at the winter solstice8:50

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

Tulip in Burlington: 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 Burlington the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 27 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 Burlington the three warmest months bring about 335 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 Burlington, Montpelier is 17 days earlier and Albany 3 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Montpelier57 km17 September – 11 November17 days earlier
Montreal117 km2 October – 13 November2 days earlier
Sherbrooke146 km27 September – 8 November7 days earlier
Concord195 km1 October – 25 November3 days earlier
Albany208 km7 October – 30 November3 days later
Trois-Rivières213 km29 September – 8 November5 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Burlington

Planting stock goes into the ground from 4 October to about 23 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Burlington OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 3 markets and 5 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Burlington?

In Burlington, tulip: plant from 4 October to about 23 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 Burlington?

Last spring frost around 22 April, first autumn frost around 3 November.

Other crops in Burlington, with their dates