There are few flowers that can compare with the tulip when it comes to dramatic displays. A single, perfect flower standing straight is quite elegant looking, even by itself. With a little forethought, however, you can turn a bed of tulips into a striking spring display.
There are around 4,000 named species of tulips, but you don’t need to know them all to have a beautiful garden. The important thing to know is that tulip species are divided into groups based on two main criteria: when they bloom, and the type of flower they produce.
When you plan your garden, the first thing you want to consider is when your bulbs will bloom. There are three categories tulips will fall into: early, mid, or late season. For maximum bloom time, be sure to choose bulbs from each category. You can cluster different types of bulbs in different locations, or mix them up in a single large bed. Just as the early bloomers are losing their color, the mid-season tulips will be opening.
Another easy way to maximize your bloom time is to plant tulip bulbs in layers, with larger bulbs buried deeper, and smaller bulbs closer to the top. The larger bulbs will take longer to reach the surface, allowing the smaller ones to bloom first.
Tulips look best when planted in clusters of five to fifteen bulbs, or in large beds with plants bunched together. Unlike annuals, you don’t need to give each tulip extra space to spread out, so don’t be stingy with the bulbs. You only need to allow a couple of inches between them.
The next thing you will want to consider is flower type and size. Tulips range in height from six inches to 32 inches, and can have blooms as large as eight inches at the base. You can choose from an instantly recognizable cup shaped tulip, or a more exotic looking lily, parrot, or fringed variety. In between you have the peony types, so called because they more closely resemble a peony than a tulip.
Of course color is a concern as well, and often the first thing people think of when planning a flower garden. Tulips are available in nearly every color from white to deep purple or black. For a casual garden, try planting random colors. Clusters of tulips along a fence are perfect for a cottage garden look, and the riot of color in a bed of variegated tulips is sure to be a welcome sight in the spring. For more drama, try large beds of single colors, with contrasting colors in other beds. Pastels might be traditional spring colors, but bright reds, yellows, and oranges are a welcome change after the gloom of a long winter.
If you prefer a more formal look, beds of single color flowers are a good choice. Try a bed of yellow tulips surrounding a fountain or birdbath, for example, or edging a walkway with tall and stately Darwin Hybrids.
You really can’t go wrong with flowers. They will complement each other regardless of the colors or styles you choose. And if you don’t like the arrangement this year, tulips are easy to rearrange for next season’s garden.
