When to plant tulips in zone 3b
In zone 3b, where the last spring frost typically comes around May 17, plant August 13 to October 8.
The zone 3b schedule for tulips
- Plant for a fall crop
- August 13 to October 8
From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 200 ZIP codes in zone 3b, and the timing recommended by Cooperative Extension guides for tulips.
Frost risk in zone 3b
Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 3b, the typical last frost ranges from about May 12 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to May 29 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from September 13 to October 1. For a typical place in the zone:
- May 4Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
- May 17Typical: frost after this date in half of years
- May 30Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10
Your dates for tulips
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant tulips where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
How to grow tulipsAll zonesTulips in zone 3aTulips in zone 4aAbout zone 3b
Sources
- Tulipa (Tulip) - North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox · NC State Extension
- Spring Flowering Bulbs (FS1220) · Rutgers Cooperative Extension
- Spring Flowering Bulbs (G1742) · University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
- Plant Bulbs Now for Spring Color · University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Bulbs to Plant in the Fall · South Dakota State University Extension
- Spring-Flowering Bulbs (HGIC) · Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center
- Tulips · UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
- Horticultural Activities for Fall · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Bexar County
- Bulbs for Central Texas · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Travis County
- Chill Out, Tulips! (Under the Solano Sun) · UC ANR, UC Master Gardeners of Solano County
- Bulbs · UF/IFAS Extension Leon County
- Plant Bulbs in the Fall for a Spring Celebration · Penn State Extension
- Bulbs (Backyard Farmer) · University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Backyard Farmer
- How to plant flower bulbs for a colorful spring display · University of Illinois Extension