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When to plant tulips in Grand Junction: 27 September – 7 December

In Grand Junction, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 7 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include West Elk Supply (farm supply, 2 km) and Bookcliff Gardens (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 Grand Junction: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -6.3 °C.

Planting27 September – 7 December
First autumn frost27 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -6.3 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring26 March
Daylight11:59 on 27 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:25

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

Tulip in Grand Junction: 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 Grand Junction the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 22 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 Grand Junction the three warmest months bring about 52 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 Grand Junction, Cheyenne is 14 days earlier and Pueblo 1 day later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Denver316 km15 September – 14 December12 days earlier
Salt Lake City339 km26 September – 23 December1 day earlier
Fort Collins340 km21 September – 5 December6 days earlier
Pueblo356 km28 September – end of December1 day later
Cheyenne392 km13 September – 4 December14 days earlier
Santa Fe (United States)444 km26 September – 11 December1 day earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Grand Junction

Planting stock goes into the ground from 27 September to about 7 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Grand Junction OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 market and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Grand Junction?

In Grand Junction, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 7 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 Grand Junction?

Last spring frost around 18 April, first autumn frost around 27 October.

Other crops in Grand Junction, with their dates