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When to plant tulips in Sheffield: 23 October – end of December

In Sheffield, tulip: plant from 23 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Ludlow Home & Garden Supplies (garden centre, 4 km) and Birley Moor Garden Centre (garden centre, 7 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 average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Tulip in Sheffield: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 1.7 °C.

Planting23 October – end of December
First autumn frost22 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, 1.7 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring22 February
Daylight10:07 on 23 October
Daylight at the winter solstice7:30

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

Tulip in Sheffield: 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).

In Sheffield the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 28 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 Sheffield the three warmest months bring about 225 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 Sheffield, Manchester is 8 days earlier and Liverpool 4 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Leeds47 km24 October – end of December1 day later
Bradford49 km19 October – end of December4 days earlier
Manchester52 km15 October – end of December8 days earlier
Stoke-on-Trent61 km16 October – end of December7 days earlier
Hull85 km25 October – end of December2 days later
Liverpool100 km27 October – end of December4 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Sheffield

Planting stock goes into the ground from 23 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Sheffield OpenStreetMap lists 23 garden centres, 2 plant nurseries, 11 markets and 8 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Sheffield?

In Sheffield, tulip: plant from 23 October to the end of December. 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 Sheffield?

Last spring frost around 15 April, first autumn frost around 22 November.

Other crops in Sheffield, with their dates