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When to plant tulips in Florence: by 28 October

In Florence, tulip: plant by 28 October. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit. For planting stock, the places nearby include Centro Agricolo Toscano (garden centre, 3 km) and Mondo Rose (garden centre, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tulip in Florence: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 1.5 °C.

Plantingby 28 October
First autumn frost27 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, 1.5 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring10 January
Daylight10:27 on 28 October
Daylight at the winter solstice8:55

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

Tulip in Florence: 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 Florence the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 18 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 Florence the three warmest months bring about 135 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 Florence, Pisa is 9 days earlier and San Marino 15 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Arezzo61 km22 October – end of December6 days earlier
Pisa69 km19 October – end of December9 days earlier
Bologna80 km30 October – end of December2 days later
San Marino97 kmby 12 November15 days later
Modena101 km31 October – end of December3 days later
Perugia117 km26 October – end of December2 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Florence

Planting stock goes into the ground by 28 October; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Florence OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 13 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Florence?

In Florence, tulip: plant by 28 October. The winter here is too mild for our late-planting rule, so we give no later limit.

When is the last spring frost in Florence?

Last spring frost around 23 March, first autumn frost around 27 November.

Other crops in Florence, with their dates