Wisconsin is gifted with Great Lakes on two side , North America ’s longest river on another and the contrast of land leave by glacier , prostrate " driftless " areas and Uplands where river dig mini - canyons begun in prehistory . Fortulips(Tulipa ssp . ) , its cold , snow-white wintertime shivering can make for salient springs . For spring heyday , plant tulips in Wisconsin six to eight weeks before the first frosts of autumn .
Wisconsin’s Continental Climate
Wisconsin gardener dwell in U.S. Department of Agriculture industrial plant hardiness geographical zone 3b through 5b . Lowest wintertime temperatures tramp from 35 below zero Fahrenheit in the northwestward to 15 below along the shores of Lake Michigan . Summer rainfall vary , west to east , from 34 to 28 inches , contributing to a coolheaded , wet continental climate .
Southern Wisconsin ’s first freeze come about two weeks after than it does in the northwest interior of the state , but the southerly part of the country also often enjoys several week of mild conditions before wintertime stage set in . Since fall planting benefit root development rather than top growth , ground frost might end tulip planting prison term in early September in the Second Earl of Guilford . In the recollective autumn near Lake Michigan in the south , bulbs might be safely plant until late October .
Early Preparation
Planting spring lightbulb , say the garden calendar , is the last pleasant job of the gardener before retire for the wintertime , but Wisconsin ’s raw and rainy autumns preclude procrastination . Take a couple of sunny days in September to find the sunniest space in the garden for your tulips . Wait to plant , though , because planting while soil is still warm encourages tender top development .
Much of Wisconsin ’s soil is well - drained loam , but some comprise important amount of clay . These soil necessitate amendment down to 12 column inch with leafage mould or compost , mixed one - to - one with soil . Tulips are hardy in USDA zone 3 through 8 , but they are natives of arid continental climates , so they require well - debilitate grime to avoid bulb bunk and disease bred in wet soils .
Wait until land temperature drops below 55 arcdegree Fahrenheit , typically in late September to mid - October , to plant bulbs . Tulip leaves need plenty of space to tuck nutrients for next year ’s heyday , so industrial plant bulbs 8 inches aside . Set light bulb 8 inches deep with at least 4 inch of soil above bulbs to protect them from dehydration as the earth freezes .
The Chicago Botanic Garden recommends dust 5 - 10 - 5 granular fertiliser on the surface after backfilling with soil . For bulbs you trust to " perennialize , " the University of Wisconsin Extension recommends 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer , scattered after planting and again each fall . piss bulbs deeply after planting and weekly until the first hard freeze only if weather is wry .
Other Dairyland Considerations
Many intercrossed tulip are not full perennial . Dig non - bloomers and check the bottom of the incandescent lamp , squall the basal plateful , for baby " bulblet . " Plant these in a sunny plot and when they grow in two to four years , you might have more flower just like the parent . For reliably perennial bulbs , buy species tulip — Kaufman ( Tulipa kaufmanniana ) or Greigi ( Tulipa greigi ) tulips — or heirloom tulips , such as the big quondam Darwin hybrids .
And a warning : Considering the state ’s population of squirrel , mice and voles , never expend fragrant off-white meal to feed tulip , plant them in protective open - ended cans or poulet telegram fence or interplant them with distasteful daffodils .
