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When to plant tulips in Saskatoon: 6 September – 19 October

In Saskatoon, tulip: plant from 6 September to about 19 October. For planting stock, the places nearby include Hi-Way Greenhouse (garden centre, 3 km) and Early's Farm & Garden Centre Inc. (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 Saskatoon: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–April; the coldest, February, averages -18.7 °C.

Planting6 September – 19 October
First autumn frost6 October
Coldest nightsFebruary, -18.7 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring30 April
Daylight13:19 on 6 September
Daylight at the winter solstice7:43

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

Tulip in Saskatoon: 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 Saskatoon the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 31 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 Saskatoon the three warmest months bring about 189 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 Saskatoon, Calgary is 5 days earlier and Billings 8 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Regina235 km6 September – 22 Octobersame day
Edmonton484 km6 September – 19 Octobersame day
Calgary525 km1 September – 26 October5 days earlier
Winnipeg711 km12 September – 26 October6 days later
Billings719 km14 September – 23 November8 days later
Helena727 km3 September – 5 November3 days earlier

Where to buy tulip for planting in Saskatoon

Planting stock goes into the ground from 6 September to about 19 October; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Saskatoon OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 2 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Saskatoon?

In Saskatoon, tulip: plant from 6 September to about 19 October. 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 Saskatoon?

Last spring frost around 15 May, first autumn frost around 6 October.

Other crops in Saskatoon, with their dates