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When to plant tulips in Davenport: 30 September – 30 November

In Davenport, tulip: plant from 30 September to about 30 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Wallaces Garden Center (garden centre, 3 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 Davenport: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -8.3 °C.

Planting30 September – 30 November
First autumn frost30 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -8.3 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring17 March
Daylight11:50 on 30 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:10

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

Tulip in Davenport: 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 Davenport the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 23 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 Davenport the three warmest months bring about 250 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 Davenport, Cedar Rapids is 5 days earlier and Chicago 7 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cedar Rapids100 km25 September – 25 November5 days earlier
Peoria129 km1 October – 9 December1 day later
Rockford149 km28 September – 25 November2 days earlier
Madison195 km27 September – 20 November3 days earlier
Springfield212 km2 October – 22 December2 days later
Chicago249 km7 October – 3 December7 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Davenport

Planting stock goes into the ground from 30 September to about 30 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Davenport OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres and 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Davenport?

In Davenport, tulip: plant from 30 September 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 Davenport?

Last spring frost around 20 April, first autumn frost around 30 October.

Other crops in Davenport, with their dates