Tulip · Peterhof, St.-Petersburg, Russia

When to plant tulips in Peterhof

Main outdoor window

6-20 Sep

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

4 May

In Peterhof, on your chosen risk.

First flowers

1 Apr - 31 May

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Step by step in Peterhof

Download these planting dates (.ics)

Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.

Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.

Plant the bulbs

6-20 Sep

Four to six weeks before your first frost, so roots form before the ground cools.

In flower

1 Apr - 31 May

Frost tolerance
Very-hardy
Damaged below
-25°C (-13°F)
Days to flowering
150–200
Hardy to
Zone 3a–8a
Spacing
12 cm
Sowing depth
150 mm (5.9 in)
Sun
Full

Tulips through the year

Against the frost risk in Peterhof

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Plant Harvest Today
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Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Peterhof

August has the highest average precipitation (90 mm); February has the lowest (38 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 45 mm
Feb 38 mm
Mar 40 mm
Apr 47 mm
May 60 mm
Jun 78 mm
Jul 88 mm
Aug 90 mm
Sep 58 mm
Oct 67 mm
Nov 59 mm
Dec 54 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

Monthly growing conditions in Peterhof

Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January -10.4°C (13.4°F) -5.6°C (21.9°F) 29.9
February -10.2°C (13.6°F) -4.8°C (23.3°F) 27.5
March -6°C (21.1°F) -0.3°C (31.5°F) 29.3
April -0.2°C (31.6°F) 7.3°C (45.1°F) 16.4
May 5.5°C (41.8°F) 13.9°C (57°F) 2.0
June 11°C (51.7°F) 18.6°C (65.5°F) 0.0
July 14°C (57.3°F) 21.3°C (70.4°F) 0.0
August 13°C (55.3°F) 20.1°C (68.3°F) 0.0
September 8.5°C (47.3°F) 15°C (58.9°F) 0.0
October 3°C (37.4°F) 7.5°C (45.5°F) 7.2
November -2.6°C (27.4°F) 0.9°C (33.5°F) 20.1
December -7.6°C (18.4°F) -3.4°C (25.8°F) 28.2

For tulips, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.

Local growing check

Before choosing tulips for Peterhof

  • August is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 90 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.

Before you plant tulips

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

  • Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
  • Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.

Choose tulips for a single display or a return next year

Plant sound bulbs in a sunny, drained position at the supplier's recommended depth. Wet soil can rot bulbs, and unsuitable winter conditions can prevent the expected flowering cycle even when a planting date looks favourable.

Remove spent flower stems if seed is not wanted, but leave green foliage until it naturally yellows. Keep planting positions marked during dormancy. Record which cultivars actually return with worthwhile flowers instead of replacing all bulbs automatically.

What to record this season

Which cultivar returned well, and did drainage or winter conditions differ between planting sites? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: Tulipa (Tulip) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location. This reference covers the broader plant group; confirm the named form and its specific requirements with the supplier.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Plant sound bulbs in a sunny, drained position at the supplier's recommended depth. Wet soil can rot bulbs, and unsuitable winter conditions can prevent the expected flowering cycle even when a planting date looks favourable.

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.

Tulips are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the planting window on this page counts backwards from the end of the season in Peterhof instead of forwards from its start.

Peterhof is zone 5b, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.

The median frost-free season here is 167 days, against 150 to 200 days to first flower for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for Peterhof →

Growing tulips in Peterhof

Can I grow tulips in Peterhof?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. August is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 90 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

When should I plant tulips in Peterhof?

Aim for 6-20 Sep in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 25 Aug - 8 Sep - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When might tulips flower in Peterhof?

The estimated period is 1 Apr - 31 May, based on 150 to 200 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.

How much frost will tulips tolerate?

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.