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When to plant tulips in Fort Collins: 21 September – 5 December

In Fort Collins, tulip: plant from 21 September to about 5 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Bath Garden Center and Nursery (garden centre, 3 km) and Fort Collins Nursery (garden centre, 4 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 Fort Collins: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -8.2 °C.

Planting21 September – 5 December
First autumn frost21 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -8.2 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring26 March
Daylight12:14 on 21 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:16

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

Tulip in Fort Collins: 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 Fort Collins the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 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 Fort Collins the three warmest months bring about 111 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 Fort Collins, Rapid City is 9 days earlier and Dodge City 8 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cheyenne69 km13 September – 4 December8 days earlier
Denver90 km15 September – 14 December6 days earlier
Pueblo258 km28 September – end of December7 days later
Grand Junction340 km27 September – 7 December6 days later
Rapid City420 km12 September – 28 November9 days earlier
Dodge City534 km29 September – end of December8 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Fort Collins

Planting stock goes into the ground from 21 September to about 5 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Fort Collins OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 3 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Fort Collins?

In Fort Collins, tulip: plant from 21 September to about 5 December. 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 Fort Collins?

Last spring frost around 25 April, first autumn frost around 21 October.

Other crops in Fort Collins, with their dates