Why are my tulips flowering only a cm above ground?

What tulips are they? Some of the specie ones are only a few inches tall. They also come from open sunny areas in the wild so planting them in shade could lead to some strange results

i think they are parrot tulips? they are orange and red??

There's a possibility it could be the fungal disease known as tulip fire (Botrytis Tulipae) If I were you I'd research it on the net and see if the symptoms are similar to yours. If they are then I'm afraid you will have to dig them out and destroy them as it will spread to your other tulips and certainly don't replant tulips in the same area for a few years as the disease can stay in the ground. Are these new bulbs or were they left in the ground from previous years? We always plant new bulbs every year to avoid the disease.

Hi Rachel, i think with Botrytis you would see more obvious things wrong such as white or grey mould, dicolouring of leaves ect. tulips need light for the stems to grow tall, even after they are cut the will grow another inch or so taller as cut flowers, they will also point towards the light. if the area you are growing them is in shade would say move them into the sun!, also are they showing colour yet? if they are still tight green buds they will proberly grow taller anyway, as with most tulps the buds can be seen low down in the plant before they grow up and then show colour and then eventually open. it is very early for parrot tulips, so if you have colour on the buds or they are begining to open, maybe there is a problem with them or they possibly are not planted deep enough. hope this helps good luck.