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 Start and end the tulip season with these
beautiful spring-flowering bulbs. Plant double tulips in small
informal clusters of seven or more bulbs scattered throughout your
gardens. Or combine them with other types of tulips, spring
flowering bulbs and perennials. And be sure to add extras to enjoy
as cut flowers.
Plant the early-blooming variety Margarita with grape hyacinths for
multiple layers of color and fragrance. These violet-purple double
tulips are ideal for perennial gardens and after they bloom, the
perennials will help mask the declining bulb foliage. Add even more
impact by pairing them with other early-flowering pink and red
tulips.
Turn up the heat with the warm tones of honey-gold, apricot and
peach found in Foxy Foxtrot. This tulip looks great when paired with
purple, pink and even red flowers. Like other doubles, it makes a
great cut flower.
Enliven the spring garden with double tulip Monte Orange. Its
brilliant tangerine blossoms have a sunny yellow center and the
flowers get even showier as they mature. Combine this variety with
yellow daffodils for greater impact and a longer display.
Fill in the mid-spring garden with some classic Darwin Hybrid tulips
such as Blushing Apeldoorn, Apricot Impression and Ad Rem.
Then create a grand finale of blooms by planting a few of the late
spring double tulips. Include Crème Upstar with its sweetly fragrant
pastel blooms that change from cream and pale yellow to apricot,
pink and rose. It’s an exceptional cut flower for your spring
bouquets. Or add an array of jewel tones
with a designer collection of double late tulips. The Parade of Pink
Mix includes four varieties of fragrant double late tulips in white,
pink, rose and magenta.
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Say a cheery goodbye to spring with the Yellow Pomponette/Sun Lover
combination. These double late tulip varieties pair lemon yellow
with blood orange and together they make a nice addition to any
sunny spot in the landscape.
Check out Longfield Gardens’ article (longfield-gardens.com/article/tulips-by-bloom-time)
for a list of tulips by bloom time. Then make your selections so you
can enjoy six weeks or more of tulip blooms in your spring garden.
Be sure to order early for the greatest selection of tulip and other
spring bulb varieties. For best results, purchase large firm bulbs
from a reliable source and store them in a cool dark place until you
are ready to plant.
Grow tulips in a sunny or partially shaded location with good
drainage. Keep in mind those shady spots in the landscape may
provide sufficient sunlight for your tulips in spring before the
trees leaf out.
Wait for the soil to cool to begin planting. This is usually mid to
late fall after a hard frost and before the ground freezes. Place
the bulbs 4 to 5 inches apart on center and about 6 to 7 inches deep
in properly prepared soil with good drainage. Add a low nitrogen,
slow release fertilizer and water thoroughly.
Then relax and enjoy your fall garden and all the beauty winter
brings as you wait for the eruption of color in your garden and
containers next spring.
[Photo credit: Longfield-Gardens.com]
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to
Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article.
Myers’s web site is www.melindamyers.com. |
