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Spring Bulbs #917784

Asked September 16, 2025, 11:27 PM EDT

When is the best time to plant tulips and other bulbs.

District of Columbia County District of Columbia

Expert Response

Good Evening Maria,

This is an excellent question. Here in DC we often have fluctuations in temperature in the Fall, so there is not a hard and fast date to use for planting tulips and similar bulbs. 

A better way to determine the time to plant bulbs is when the soil temperature is consistently below 60 degrees.  Here, this dip usually occurs around the end October or beginning of November, but it can vary.

For more information, check out this link about tulips and planting bulbs from the North Carolina Extension service since the region is also is zoned as 7b and 8a by the USDA (our USDA zones here in  DC) https://forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/11/fall-is-the-time-to-add-flowering-bulbs-in-your-garden/

Let me know if you have additional questions,

Liz

An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 17, 2025, 9:00 PM EDT

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