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When to plant tulips in Lansing: 3 October – 29 November

In Lansing, tulip: plant from 3 October to about 29 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Lansing Gardens (garden centre, 4 km) and Tannenbaum Farm (garden centre, 11 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 Lansing: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -7.1 °C.

Planting3 October – 29 November
First autumn frost2 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -7.1 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring30 March
Daylight11:41 on 3 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:02

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

Tulip in Lansing: 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 Lansing 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 Lansing the three warmest months bring about 247 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

1 of the nearest cities share Lansing's date.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Ann Arbor82 km6 October – 30 November3 days later
Grand Rapids95 km4 October – 29 November1 day later
Detroit131 km8 October – 7 December5 days later
Fort Wayne187 km3 October – 10 Decembersame day
Traverse City244 km10 October – 26 November7 days later
Chicago269 km7 October – 3 December4 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Lansing

Planting stock goes into the ground from 3 October to about 29 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Lansing OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 1 plant nursery, 6 markets and 5 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Lansing?

In Lansing, tulip: plant from 3 October 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 Lansing?

Last spring frost around 28 April, first autumn frost around 2 November.

Other crops in Lansing, with their dates