Flower gardens with full sun exposure and well draining soil in zones 3 – 7 are good locations for tulips. The bold color, fragrance and beauty as cut flowers are just a few reasons tulips are planted during autumn. This primer offers tulip ideas and matches them to garden themes.
Tulips in Cutting Gardens
Tulips are a favorite of cutting gardens. Especially in the north, blooms of tulips are one of season’s first flowers in a garden and for a vase inside.
Darwin, lily, parrot, Rembrandt or triumph varieties are good choices. The fringed tulip ‘Party Time’ grows to 18 – 28.” The ‘Rembrandt Tulip Mix’ is a late bloomer with multi-colors. The single late tulip ‘Queen of Night’ has deep velvet looking maroon color and blooms late. Cutting gardens should have a range of early, mid and late blooming tulips; this will ensure flowers the entire time spring.
Types of Tulips for Container Gardens
Tulips are a good choice to make part of a container garden, especially in pots with wide planting surfaces. Triumphs, doubles and Darwins are good for this purpose. The exotic looking parrot tulip ‘Estella Rijnveld’ has red and white splashes on the petals and is a late flowering tulip.
Tulips are developed especially for forcing during winter months in time to bloom very early spring indoors. It is possible to layer different types of spring blooming bulbs in the same pot.
Fragrant Tulips in Scented Gardens
Fragrant tulips should be planted where the scent can be appreciated. Gardens near a patio or along a walkway are good choices.
Gardeners can choose hybrids with scented blooms such as the single early ‘Apricot Beauty’ or look for fragrant triumphs and parrot tulip varieties. Parrot tulips have irregular petals that look curled, twisted, or cut. Some parrot tulips have variegated leaves, adding another look to scented gardens.
Bulb Ideas in an Edible Garden
Plant tulip bulbs in fenced areas to keep away from wildlife. Many herb and vegetable gardens are fenced in, making it a perfect place to add all types of tulips. Grow tulips with herb plants in a kitchen garden or use as a garnish for cakes or in making potpourri.
Gardeners can combine fenced vegetable and herb gardens with cutting gardens. Open planting beds are better for spring flowering bulbs like alliums, muscari and daffodils, not liked by rodents, rabbits or deer. Tulips that are good for naturalizing will have more success when planted among other bulbs.
Tulip Species
The Tulipa kaufmanmiana has a star shaped flower. Tulipa greigii has variegated foliage with bicolor flowers. Tulipa ‘Red Riding Hood’ with red flowers and black bases is one example.
Tulip species live longer and bloom earlier compared with hybrid types. These types of tulips are good choices for naturalizing in open areas.
Attracting Hummingbirds with Tulips
Tulipa fosteriana ‘Red Emperor’ is another example ofa tulip species. The red flower will attract hummingbirds, not only for its color but also for its trumpet or cup shaped bloom. ‘Red Emperor’ is also a fragrant flower.
Southern gardeners grow tulips as annuals outside. Tulips should be refrigerated six to eight weeks, in a ventilated paper bag. Plant the bulbs outside in December or January. Tulip ‘Angelique’ is double late, peony type that can be used in this situation.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
Chris Eirschele - Chris writes on plants grown and gardens explored; she is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
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