When and how to plant the Ice Cream tulip? The late double Ice Cream tulip loves sunny spots, but it will also prosper in partly shaded areas. Plant its bulbs before it freezes, sometime from October to December, and it will grant you many flowers in the following spring. Tulip flowers, indeed, require a few months of vernalization to be able to bloom. Given that the Ice Cream tulip is a hardy bulb flower down to -4°F (-20°C), you can simply let it spend the winter in the ground in most temperate climates. Plant the bulbs in light and fertile soil, but make sure it drains well and is soft, to a depth of at least 6 inches (15 cm). Note that it's best to space the bulbs by about 4 inches (10 cm), so that they don't crowd each other out, but still create a unified cover upon blooming. If you're growing your ice cream tulips in a pot, follow the same steps, but don't plant the bulbs as deep: let the tip peek through the soil.
The Ice Cream tulip: fabulous as a cut flower. Ice cream tulips will stay beautiful for a very long time in a bouquet. To prepare your cut flower bouquet, it's always best to cut your tulip stems in the morning. After that, place your cut flowers in a vase with lukewarm water, to which a little bit of sugar and vinegar has been added. This mixture is perfect for fresh flowers to stay alive for longer.