How should you plant tulip bulbs in the garden and how deep should tulip bulbs be planted?

When planting tulips prepare a patch of ground by digging a few inches deep, adding some compost and a light scattering of bone meal fertilizer. Plant the bulbs to a depth equal to 2-3 times their length and 3-4 inches apart. Put them into the ground with the point end pointing towards the surface of the soil. The broad end of the bulb is where the roots will emerge. Cover with soil and water in well. Mass plant them because they will have more of an impact in groups than if planted separately.

Tulip bulbs should be planted from mid-October to mid-November to give them time to get their roots down before the cold arrives. Ideally, they should be in the ground before the first frost. However, if you forget to plant them or find yourself running late, they can be planted in large pots in potting compost and put into a cold frame or garage and taken outside in the spring.

Each year sprinkle a small amount of bulb fertilizer when the shoots appear. Once the first leaf appears, feed with a tomato feed to promote flowering.

After flowering you can leave the bulbs and let the leaves die back. Cut back to the ground once the leaves have finished decaying.

Whether in a pot or in the ground, you can take the bulbs out once they have finished blooming and the leaves have faded. Leave them to dry out, then wrap in newspaper or put them into wood shavings, and keep them in a dry, dark place until it is time to replant them in the autumn. You can, however, simply leave them in the ground and they will return year after year.

They can become crowded though, in which case the flowers will probably be smaller, so after a few years it is a good idea to dig them up, divide them and replant, spreading them out around the garden as needed.