When to plant tulips in Oregon and Washington

Tulip bulbs go in during fall across the Northwest and bloom the next spring. Find your city below.

Need winter chill to bloom, so they go in during fall. Washington's Skagit Valley tulip fields show how well they grow here.

Tulips planting dates by city

City	Plant in fall
Astoria, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Baker City, OR	Oct 15 – Nov 15
Bend and Redmond, OR	Oct 15 – Nov 15
Burns, OR	Oct 15 – Nov 15
Coos Bay and North Bend, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Eugene, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Gresham, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Klamath Falls, OR	Oct 15 – Nov 15
Medford, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Pendleton, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Portland, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Roseburg, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Salem, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
The Dalles, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Bellingham, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Ellensburg, WA	Sep 25 – Oct 31
Everett, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Forks, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Moses Lake, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Olympia, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Omak and Okanogan, WA	Sep 25 – Oct 31
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Spokane, WA	Sep 25 – Oct 31
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Vancouver, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 15
Walla Walla, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Wenatchee, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Yakima, WA	Oct 1 – Nov 1

Buy firm, heavy bulbs from a garden center or bulb grower.
Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well; bulbs rot in soggy ground.
Plant them on your city's dates, 6 to 8 inches deep, pointed end up, 4 to 6 inches apart.
Water once after planting, then let the rain take over. Leave the leaves until they yellow after blooming.
Harvest: Cut when buds show color but are still closed. After blooming, let the leaves die back on their own to feed the bulb.

Squirrels, voles and deer eat tulips. Plant bulbs in wire cages, or choose daffodils where animals are a problem.