The time to plant tulips is in the fall season in order for these to come up in the spring and should be planted as soon as you purchase the bulbs. The reason for this is that tulips require a period of cold weather while they are dormant.

Tulips come in an incredible variety of colors and different heights and shapes and are the flower emblem of Holland. Although tulips were first cultivated and hybridized by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, these are grown on very large scale in the Netherlands where their history goes back to the sixteenth century thanks to Dutch gardener Carolus Clusius who introduced tulips to Holland. There are approximately 3 billion tulip bulbs produced in Holland annually. (photo courtesy of alumni.cornell.edu)

It has been said that tulips represent grace and elegance and it is recognized as one the world’s most loved flower. I am not surprised because tulips are beautiful and favored by many gardeners today all over the world. According to gardeners, the standard meaning of tulips is perfect love and like many other flowers, different colors have been associated with a specific expression.

For example, red tulips are strongly associated with true love and purple ones symbolize royalty. Yellow tulips that once represented hopeless love are now associated with cheerful thoughts and sunshine. White tulips usually represent claim of worthiness and sometimes to send a message of forgiveness. Variegated tulips were once among the most popular varieties because of their striking color patters now represent beautiful eyes. With all the sentiments associated with tulips, it is no wonder that their popularity continues to endure through the years. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Tulip bulbs are usually planted in late summer and fall approximately 4-8 inches deep in soil. In areas where there is no cool spring and summer, bulbs can be planted at least 12 inches deep as this will provide protection from summer heat. This process can extend the usefulness of the plants in warmer areas longer. Just follow directions included in your purchase for planting depth for each tulip variety.

Some gardeners say that plant food should be applied above the bulbs but be careful as the plant food should not touch them. Also, tulips do best in loose, well-drained soil. Here is a sampling of some of my favorite tulips.

Tulip ‘Wendy Love’ – Botanical name is Tulipa Wendy Love

Photo Courtesy of Park Seed Co.
This tulip is in the ‘Triumph’ family and the beauty of it is that the blooms change from yellow to pink.  They open in a soft yellow color and gradually change to a rosy pink color. If you want to display a real show with these tulips, plant them in large quantities and watch the colors change. Wow! Blooms come up on 16-18 inch stems which makes ‘Wendy Love’ ideal as cut flowers. Grows well in zones 3-8.

Tulip ‘Sweet Desire’ – Botanical name is Tulipa Sweet Desire

Here is an early blooming tulip which resembles strawberries and cream and is absolutely stunning. The shape of the blooms is peony like flower while the tips of the petals turn inward making the entire flower resemble a wide bowl shape. The flowers come up on 16-18 inch stems and are among the first to arise. They have streaks of green on the petals, then shades of rose and pink to a cream center. Grows well in zones 3-8. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Tulip ‘Quebec’ – Botanical name is Tulipa Greigii Quebec

Photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.
Here is a multi flowering tulip that looks awesome when planted in large groups that will produce masses of flowers year after year. Plant them as borders, beds or even rock gardens for a spectacular look. The stems are short but strong and are wind resistant. Each stem can produce up to 5 scarlet blooms each edged in creamy yellow with a canary yellow base. Grows well in zones 3-8.

Tulip ‘Groenland’ – Botanical name is Tulipa viridiflora Groenland

Photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.
Groenland is a very exquisite tulip variety. The blooms are creamy violet-pink with a soft green strip that runs down the center of each petal. Beautiful! Plant them in full sun and at least 5 inches apart in well drained soil. These will reach up to 18 inches tall and grows well in zones 3-8.

To your beautiful tulip garden,
Diana

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Flower Gardening, Gardening, Tulips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.