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When to plant tulips in Madison: 27 September – 20 November

In Madison, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 20 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Dane County Farmers' Market - Holiday Market (farm shop, 2 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 Madison: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -9.8 °C.

Planting27 September – 20 November
First autumn frost27 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -9.8 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring8 April
Daylight11:58 on 27 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:00

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

Tulip in Madison: 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 Madison 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 Madison the three warmest months bring about 285 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 Madison, Cedar Rapids is 2 days earlier and Chicago 10 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Rockford94 km28 September – 25 November1 day later
Milwaukee121 km2 October – 25 November5 days later
Davenport195 km30 September – 30 November3 days later
Green Bay196 km30 September – 17 November3 days later
Chicago196 km7 October – 3 December10 days later
Cedar Rapids224 km25 September – 25 November2 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Madison

Planting stock goes into the ground from 27 September to about 20 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Madison OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 19 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Madison?

In Madison, tulip: plant from 27 September to about 20 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 Madison?

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

Other crops in Madison, with their dates