Homegrown: Tulip Time!

 Lisa Slattery, Linn County Extension Master Gardener, provided the following tips on tulips:

Tulips are my very favorite flower.  There's rarely a spring day when I don't have a vase with a few tulips gracing my kitchen counter – that is until they are done blooming for the spring.  I'm not alone in my love for tulips.  There are now over 3,000 different registered varieties of cultivated tulips that offer all kinds of colors, heights and flower times.  But one thing that many gardeners don't realize is that most modern tulip varieties only bloom well for about two to three years.  You should be planting new bulbs about every two years.  However, if you want tulips that will perennialize (or naturalize) there are several different tulip types or classes that you should look for. 

Fosteriana tulips, which are also called Emperor Tulips, were developed from a wild species of tulip and will perennialize in the garden.  They are one of the earliest bloomers, generally of mid-height with big wide petals in bright colors.  Look for varieties with Emperor in the name like “Red Emperor”, “Orange Emperor,” and “White Emperor.”  The Fosteriana tulips are a good choice to plant in drifts in large beds for a magnificent impression.

Another class of tulips that will naturalize are the Kaufmanniana Tulips which were developed from a species, native to Turkestan.  These are also early bloomers.  They are generally very low growing, about four to five inches tall which makes them perfect for a border or rock garden.  If you leave them alone they should return year after year and gradually multiply.  The flowers look like stars or waterlilies and open almost completely flat on sunny days.  The inside color is also very different from the outside color.  I have some of these in my garden and I love how unusual they look.  Look for “Gaiety,” “Heart's Delight,” and “Shakespeare.”

Species tulips are another class of tulips that go back to the very first tulips bulbs, giving rise to the big showy hybrids of today.  Species tulips, sometimes called Persian tulips offer unusual flowers that are typically short height, early bloomers and the best for naturalizing.  They come in many, many colors and are another great choice for borders, rock gardens and heirloom gardens.  Hardiness and bloom times are dependent upon the variety.  Look for “Cynthia”, “Little Princess” and “Eastern Star.”

Spring is the time to enjoy tulip blooms but it's not the right season for planting.  They should be planted in the fall, even planting into December if the ground isn't frozen.  But if you already have tulips that are blooming that you'd like to move to a different location, you can dig those up and replant them soon after the foliage dies back or turns brown.

Tulips should be planted in well-drained soil in full sun.  Make sure you plant to the proper depth, which is measured from the top of the bulb to the soil surface and will vary depending upon the size of the bulbs being planted.  Water bulbs after planting. 

To maintain the tulips you have now, be sure to clip the flower heads in the spring after blossoms have passed their peak.  This allows the plant to put energy into rebuilding the bulb, not creating a seedpod.  And always, always leave the tulip foliage in the garden until it dies back and turns brown.