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When to plant tulips in Seoul: 7 October – 26 November

In Seoul, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 26 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include 방실농원 (garden centre, 13 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 Seoul: soil, season and weather

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

Planting7 October – 26 November
First autumn frost6 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -7.1 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring18 March
Daylight11:35 on 7 October
Daylight at the winter solstice9:34

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

Tulip in Seoul: 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 Seoul 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 Seoul the three warmest months bring about 712 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 Seoul, Chuncheon is 6 days earlier and Gwangju 17 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Chuncheon74 km1 October – 22 November6 days earlier
Daejeon139 km13 October – 5 December6 days later
Gangneung169 km22 October – end of December15 days later
Jeonju194 km18 October – 17 December11 days later
Daegu236 km22 October – end of December15 days later
Gwangju266 km24 October – end of December17 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Seoul

Planting stock goes into the ground from 7 October to about 26 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Seoul OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 2 plant nurseries and 85 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Seoul?

In Seoul, tulip: plant from 7 October to about 26 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 Seoul?

Last spring frost around 29 March, first autumn frost around 6 November.

Other crops in Seoul, with their dates