Table of Contents

GROWING TULIPS / tulipa

CLASSIFICATIONS OF TULIPS:
There are about a hundred species of tulips, they vary in heights between an inch to about 16 inches, and many have more than one flower per stem. Tulips are perennials that form bulbs, in the first year after seeds germinate, a narrow leaf is formed which rapidly forms a small bulb inside the soil.

Single early tulips-short stem and blooms early spring.
Double early tulips-flowers has 6 petals.
Triumph tulips-moderate height of single flower stems.
Darwin hybrid tulips-large, bold tulips with restricted color range.
Breeder tulips-large oval flowers with 40 inches tall stem. Unusual colors with orange, bronze, and purple predominating.
Mendel tulips-bred from Darwin tulips single flower per stem 20 inches tall.
Single late tulips-most varied of all groups
Lily-flowered tulips-single flowers with narrow, refluxed petals
Cottage tulips-bred from varieties found growing in old gardens in the British Isles
Fringed tulips-single flower blooms mid spring.
Viridiflora tulips-various height with round or pointed petals, it has green streaks through the petals.
Rembrandt tulips-not commercially available due to virus problems.
Bizzarre tulips-bred from broken breeder and cottage tulips.
Parrot tulips-tall stems, late flowering with deep-cut petals that are often tinted with green.
Double late tulip-long stems, flower late spring with rounded, heavy, usually double flowers.
Kaufmanniana tulips-bred from T.kaufmanniana, flowers early spring with 8 inches stem
Fosteriana tulips-bred from T. fosteriana, has large grey or green foliage, large blooms compared to the plant size.
Greigii tulips-bred from T. greigi with spreading foliage, flowers later than kaufmanniana.
Miscellaneous tulips-all other species of tulips that do not belong to the above groups.

 
SIZE:                                      6 inches to over 3 feeet
BLOOM TIME:                     Spring
LIGHT:                                   Sun or light shade
TIME TO PLANT:               Autumn; winter in mildest regions
COLORS:                               Red, pink, purple, lavender, white, buff, cream, yellow, orange, bronze, mauve, maroon, multicolors.
SOIL TYPE:                           Rich, well drained
PLANT DEPTH:                   Varies depending on bulb size.
HARDINESS:                        -40 degree F / -40 degree C, need subfreezing winter temperature.

HOW TO SELECT TULIP BULBS:
When buying tulip bulbs, it is best to buy locally so that you can see what you are getting. It is important to shop early as soon as the bulbs appear in stores. Because the longer the bulbs are in storage, the more moisture it will loose. This definitely affects the blooms the following years. Also check each bulb carefully and stay clear of any bulbs.

HOW TO PLANT AND CARE FOR TULIPS:
Most tulip bulbs need subfreezing winter temperature, in colder regions where winter temperatures drop below 32 degree F / 0 degree C, plant bulbs in early to mid autumn after the soil has cooled.  In southern and southwest mild winter regions, gardener can enjoy tulip blooms by treating tulips as annuals, buying and planting new bulbs each year and discarding them after bloom is finished each season or store dormant bulbs in 40 degree F / 4 degree C until between November to early January. Then plant these bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep when the soil temperature cooled, in order to let the bulb to root well. Normally set the bulb two and a half times as deep as the width of each bulb, and space them 4 to 8 inches apart. Tulips need a rich, well-drained soil, plenty of sun and moisture during growth and bloom. As the foliage dies back, the tulip requires less moisture and sun, therefore well-drained soil is important at this stage.

Make the bloom larger by planting the tulip bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep. The reason is that the depth of the plant’s bulb directs the energy of the tulip to the growth of the size of stem and flowers, inducing larger blooms the following season, removing spend flowers is also a must to keep the tulip from setting seeds.