When to plant tulips in Ghent: 25 October – end of December

In Ghent, tulip: plant from 25 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Aveve (garden centre, 4 km) and Aveve (garden centre, 6 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 average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Tulip in Ghent: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 1.6 °C.

Planting	25 October – end of December
First autumn frost	24 November
Coldest nights	January, 1.6 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring	1 February
Daylight	10:09 on 25 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:54

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

Tulip in Ghent: 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 Ghent the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 24 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 Ghent the three warmest months bring about 197 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 Ghent, Charleroi is 9 days earlier and Bruges 6 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bruges	39 km	31 October – end of December	6 days later
Brussels	49 km	23 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Lille	66 km	22 October – end of December	3 days earlier
Charleroi	87 km	16 October – end of December	9 days earlier
Hasselt	114 km	19 October – end of December	6 days earlier
Liège	138 km	20 October – end of December	5 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Ghent

Planting stock goes into the ground from 25 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Ghent OpenStreetMap lists 31 garden centres, 2 plant nurseries, 8 markets and 9 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Aveve — garden centre
Gentsesteenweg 126, 9800 Deinze · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–18:00 · 15 km · aveve.be
Aveve — garden centre
Dekenijstraat 31, 9080 Lochristi · Mon–Wed, Fri 08:30–12:00, 13:30–18:30; Thu 08:30–12:00; Sat 08:30–18:00 · 9 km · aveve.be
Intratuin — garden centre
Grote Baan 249 · Mon 09:30–16:00; Wed–Sun 09:30–18:00 · 11 km · intratuin.be
Aveve — garden centre
Oosterzelesteenweg 1,3 · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–18:00 · 12 km · aveve.be
't Groen Beleven — garden centre
Graaf van Hoornestraat 67, 9850 · May–Sept · 13 km · tgroenbeleven.be
Aveve — garden centre
Aakstraat 6 · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–18:00 · 4 km · aveve.be
Aveve — garden centre
Klossestraat 55 · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 · 6 km · aveve.be
Eurotuin — garden centre
Fraterstraat 111 · Mon, Wed–Sun 09:00–18:00 · 6 km · eurotuin.be

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