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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @GoulburnBogan. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about growing tulips.
The best time to plant them is in late autumn, around May to early June. If you buy your bulbs earlier, you can store them in the fridge for four to six weeks before planting to simulate a deeper winter chill.
When it comes to preparing the garden bed, choose a sunny spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Tulips need free-draining soil to avoid rot, so if your garden soil is heavy clay, it’s worth working in some coarse sand, compost, and well-aged manure to open it up. Raised beds can be a good option if drainage is an issue. Aim for a soil pH that’s neutral to slightly acidic—around 6.0 to 7.0 is ideal. If you're unsure about your soil's pH, a simple test kit can help, and you can adjust with lime or sulphur as needed.
Fertilising is important for strong flowering. Blood and bone or Dynamic Lifter can be dug through the bed beforehand to enrich it organically. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers, as they’ll encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers. Once the shoots appear in late winter or early spring, you can give them a liquid feed every couple of weeks with a seaweed tonic to support growth and flowering. After flowering, allow the leaves to die back naturally so the bulbs can store energy for next year.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
