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When to plant tulips in Des Moines: 27 September – 29 November

In Des Moines, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 29 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Plant Junction (garden centre, 9 km) and Vic Scott Landscaping and Nursery Center (garden centre, 9 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 Des Moines: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -9.4 °C.

Planting27 September – 29 November
First autumn frost27 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -9.4 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring13 March
Daylight11:58 on 27 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:09

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

Tulip in Des Moines: 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines the three warmest months bring about 300 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 Des Moines, Sioux Falls is 6 days earlier and Kansas City 5 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cedar Rapids165 km25 September – 25 November2 days earlier
Omaha198 km26 September – 30 November1 day earlier
Davenport250 km30 September – 30 November3 days later
Lincoln271 km28 September – 7 December1 day later
Kansas City290 km2 October – end of December5 days later
Sioux Falls334 km21 September – 16 November6 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Des Moines

Planting stock goes into the ground from 27 September to about 29 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Des Moines OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Des Moines?

In Des Moines, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 29 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 Des Moines?

Last spring frost around 19 April, first autumn frost around 27 October.

Other crops in Des Moines, with their dates