Tulip is a perennial grown for its root. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 8 and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the root is the prize.
Tulip — the short answer
Tulip: grown in zones 6–8, full sun, pH 6–7.
- USDA zones
- 6–8
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Tulip on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether tulip actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score tulip against your land's real conditions.
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What Tulip is
Tulip grows as a perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms red in summer. It's also well suited to containers.
How to grow Tulip
Tulip grows in USDA zones 6 through 8. Tulip does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 7, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
6-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
6 - 7
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Sow directly
Sow tulip seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Tulip prefers pH 6 to 7 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones. Local Cooperative Extension guides publish timing tables.
Where Tulip thrives
Tulip is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–8 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 9 outright and splits 39 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–8·Where Tulip growsOpen map →
Where Tulip stands, state by state
Tulip is rated for zones 6–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 9 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 39 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–8
9 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 9 shown
The line runs through
39 states
3 of 39 shown
Tulip’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–8
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Tulip
Growing guides for tulip
In rotation planning, tulip counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — tulip is toxic to dogs and cats (moderate severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Tulip offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Tulip's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Tulip will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether tulip actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Tulip
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Tulip in my zone?
Tulip grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 8 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Tulip?
Tulip is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Tulip need?
Tulip needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Tulip need?
Tulip prefers soil pH 6 to 7, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Tulip attract pollinators?
Yes — tulip's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Tulip safe for pets?
Tulip is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)