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When to plant tulips in Yellowknife: 4 September – 4 October

In Yellowknife, tulip: plant from 4 September to about 4 October. For planting stock, the places nearby include Boreal Garden Centre (garden centre, 3 km) and Arctic Farmer Landscaping (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 Yellowknife: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in October–April; the coldest, February, averages -27.2 °C.

Planting4 September – 4 October
First autumn frost4 October
Coldest nightsFebruary, -27.2 °C
Soil back at 7 °C in spring20 May
Daylight14:09 on 4 September
Daylight at the winter solstice4:58

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

Tulip in Yellowknife: 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 Yellowknife the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 37 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 Yellowknife the three warmest months bring about 124 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 Yellowknife, Whitehorse is 6 days earlier and Kelowna 27 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Edmonton991 km6 September – 19 October2 days later
Whitehorse1,107 km29 August – 7 October6 days earlier
Juneau1,189 km6 September – 12 October2 days later
Saskatoon1,235 km6 September – 19 October2 days later
Calgary1,268 km1 September – 26 October3 days earlier
Kelowna1,432 km1 October – 27 November27 days later

Where to buy tulip for planting in Yellowknife

Planting stock goes into the ground from 4 September to about 4 October; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Yellowknife OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant tulips in Yellowknife?

In Yellowknife, tulip: plant from 4 September to about 4 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 Yellowknife?

Last spring frost around 23 May, first autumn frost around 4 October.

Other crops in Yellowknife, with their dates