Tulip

(Liliaceae - Lily Family)

Form

• small- to large-sized Spring-blooming perennial bulb
• individual plants range from 4" to 36" tall by 6" to 12" wide, depending upon type and cultivar
• upright clump growth habit

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• best performance occurs in full sun in moist, rich, well-drained soils, but Tulips are tolerant of average fertility soils and some degree of light shade
• propagated primarily by bulblet separation or bulb division
• Lily Family, with bulb rot (due to poor drainage, especially in unamended clay soils) being the primary detrimental disease, while "streaking" of the perianth segments (caused by viruses) is sometimes beneficial, as certain cultivars are sold for this unique floral appearance
• abundantly available in late Summer and throughout Autumn as dry bulbs
• the most effective display is achieved if identical colors are grouped together in a cluster, drift, bed, or mass planting, but mixed colors are also used in some designs
• a general rule of thumb for all types of bulbs is to plant them at a spacing and depth that is three times the height of the bulb; for Hybrid Tulips, this often translates into planting bulbs about 4"-6" apart and 4"-8" deep in September or October in well-drained soil, preferably in full sun to partial sun; however, the Species Tulips are smaller, and should be planted about 2"-4" apart and 2"-4" deep
• actual bloom time for a specific cultivar can be altered by planting the same lot of bulbs into locations that differ in sun versus shade, or shallow versus deep planting depth (cooler soils in shade or greater planting depth delay the time to flowering, all other things being equal)
• emerging foliage is tolerant of freezes down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 degrees Celsius), although minor tip damage may occur
• allow foliage to fully senesce (turn yellow and brown, and be easy to pull up) before its removal in June, so that photosynthesis will replenish food to the subterranean bulb so that next year's flowering will be optimized

Foliage

• generally medium green or blue-green and somewhat glaucous; early-emerging species often have mottled, striped, or stippled foliage, while a few variegated hybrid cultivars also exist
• several twisting leaves arise directly from an underground bulb, unfurling to yield oblong to elliptical leaves with acute apices, up to 15" long by 4" wide
• some of the taller cultivars also have smaller leaves that originate directly from the flowering stems
• foliage slowly senesces and becomes yellow-brown by late May or early June, when it can be pulled up and discarded

Flowers

• many solid colors and bicolors are available, in single- or double-flowering forms, with the most common colors being red, pink, yellow, and white, although purple, violet, orange, and green also exist
• elliptical floral buds sit atop short or long stems (which can also have leaves and more than one floral bud) with each flower effective for one to two weeks in late March, April, or May, depending upon its season of bloom
• long-stemmed Tulips are also commonly used as cut flowers

Fruits

• elongated to elliptical, ribbed capsules occur at the tops of some spent-flower stems, and should be deadheaded along with the stems if this is practical, to promote tidyness and enhance the next Spring's floral vigor; however, they are often unnoticed and ornamentally insignificant

Twigs

• not applicable

Trunk

• not applicable

ID Summary

• unfurling foliage in late Winter or early Spring (some forms have stippled foliage) preceeds the floral buds (on short or long stems) opening to cup-shaped flowers having six perianth segments, with a multitude of types and cultivars that differ in season of bloom, floral size/color/shape, stem height, and foliage color/mottling

USAGE

Function

• Spring accent for beds, borders, entranceways, foundations, raised planters, group or mass plantings, drifts, or naturalized areas

Texture

• bold texture
• open density

Assets

• Spring accent flowers that are often eye-catching from a distance, due to their bright colors and size
• many floral colors/bicolors, single/double flowering forms, stem lengths, and seasons of bloom are available
• Species Tulips increase in bulb number and floral performance over the years

Liabilities

• persistent yellowing foliage often occurs into late Spring
• Hybrid Tulips usually decline in floral performance and vigor within one to two years of planting
• bulb rot tends to occur more easily than with most other bulbs (especially when planted at deeper depths or in more moisture-retentive soils)

Habitat

• zones 5 to 7
• the species forms are native to Turkey and other Mediterranean locales

SELECTIONS

Alternates

• other Spring-flowering bulbs with large flowers and large foliage (the major bulbs, namely Hyacinthus, Narcissus, Scilla campanulata, etc.) or small flowers and small foliage (the minor bulbs, namely Anemone blanda, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Eranthis, Galanthus, Iris reticulata, Scilla siberica, etc.)

Variants

• functionally speaking, there are many types of Tulips; the following generic descriptions are based upon season of bloom:
  • Species Tulips (blooming in late Winter to early Spring; also known as Botanical Tulips):
    • Kaufmanniana Tulips (Water Lily Tulips) - 4" to 8" stems, usually with many dark stripes, stipples, or mottling on the wide-spreading foliage, with wide-spreading perianths that resemble water lilies and bloom the earliest of all Tulips
    • Greigii Tulips - 8" to 16" stems, with striped foliage, and flowers that often have different colors on the outside versus the inside of the perianth
    • Forsteriana Tulips - 10" to 18" stems, with foliage usually striped
  • Early Season Tulips
    • Single Early - 6" to 8" stems, subtlely fragrant
    • Double Early - 10" to 12" stems, double-flowering, with slightly later bloom
  • Mid-Season Tulips
    • Darwin Hybrid - 30" to 36" stems, the tallest of all Tulips
    • Mendel Tulips - 18" to 24" stems, used either outdoors or indoors (forcing)
    • Triumph Tulips - 14" to 24" stems, and the most popular of all hybrid Tulips
  • Late Season Tulips - 12" to 32" stems
    • Cottage Tulips - flowers are oval, originally planted in the cottage gardens of Europe
    • Darwin Tulips - flowers are rectangular (flat tops and right-angled bottoms), very late blooming, and on very tall stems
    • Lily Tulips - with recurved, pointed petals
    • Parrot Tulips - with feather-edged (fringed) petals
    • Peony Tulips - double-flowering and resembling Peony flowers
    • Rembrandt - flowers are striped, streaked, or blotched

Translation

• Tulipa translates from Persian as "turban", and refers to the inverted flowers of some species, which resemble a turban.

Purpose

• Tulips, along with Narcissi, are the most popular Spring bulbs.

Summary

• Tulipa is known as an early- to late- Spring flowering bulb, with bright floral colors or bicolors available from many species and cultivars.