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When to plant tulips in Lucerne: 20 September – 29 November

In Lucerne, tulip: plant from 20 September to about 29 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Luzerner Garten (garden centre, 4 km) and Bonsania GmbH (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 Lucerne: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -5.6 °C.

Planting20 September – 29 November
First autumn frost20 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -5.6 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring16 April
Daylight12:20 on 20 September
Daylight at the winter solstice8:30

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

Tulip in Lucerne: 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 Lucerne the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 34 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 Lucerne the three warmest months bring about 584 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 Lucerne, Locarno is 28 days earlier and Neuchâtel 39 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Zurich41 km17 October – end of December27 days later
Bern66 km4 October – 21 December14 days later
St. Gallen90 km19 October – end of December29 days later
Fribourg92 km7 October – 30 December17 days later
Locarno105 km23 August – 27 October28 days earlier
Neuchâtel105 km29 October – end of December39 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Lucerne

Planting stock goes into the ground from 20 September to about 29 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Lucerne OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 16 markets and 37 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Lucerne?

In Lucerne, tulip: plant from 20 September 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 Lucerne?

Last spring frost around 2 May, first autumn frost around 20 October.

Other crops in Lucerne, with their dates