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When to plant tulips in Caen: by 5 November

In Caen, tulip: plant by 5 November. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit. For planting stock, the places nearby include Pépinière Genettais (plant nursery, 4 km) and La Ferme du Village (farm shop, 4 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tulip in Caen: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 3.2 °C.

Plantingby 5 November
First autumn frost5 December
Coldest nightsJanuary, 3.2 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring8 January
Daylight9:40 on 5 November
Daylight at the winter solstice8:12

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

Tulip in Caen: 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).

In Caen the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 22 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 Caen the three warmest months bring about 166 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 Caen, Paris is 15 days earlier and Le Havre 7 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Le Havre48 kmby 12 November7 days later
Le Mans139 km25 October – end of December11 days earlier
Rennes154 kmby 29 October7 days earlier
Brighton183 kmby 1 November4 days earlier
Angers192 kmby 28 October8 days earlier
Paris201 km21 October – end of December15 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Caen

Planting stock goes into the ground by 5 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Caen OpenStreetMap lists 14 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 7 plant nurseries, 20 markets and 22 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Caen?

In Caen, tulip: plant by 5 November. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit.

When is the last spring frost in Caen?

Last spring frost around 12 March, first autumn frost around 5 December.

Other crops in Caen, with their dates