Tulip Season
Tulip Season is Now Longer Than Ever Before
Tulip season has grown longer and longer over the last several years thanks to the appearance of more and more tulip hybrids. Now, tulips are not categorized as just tulips, they have become early-season tulips, mid-season tulips and late-season tulips. In fact, if you plan your tulip planting well enough, you could have tulips in bloom for two to three months every spring. Overall, there are now over one hundred different species of tulips and over one thousand different varieties.
Early tulip season has an abundance of choices. These flowers will usually bloom in March and early-April. There are single early tulips in many colors, including purple, yellow, pink, white, peach, orange and red. Some have fragrance and some do not. They are known for their short stems and weather resistance. Double early tulips are also now available. These are taller, in the one-foot range. Not as many colors are available.
Other early season tulips include Greigii, which are 8-10 inches tall and come in red, yellow, peach, white and pink. They are usually streaked or two-tone in color. Greigii are among the longest lasting tulips, coming up regularly for many years. Kaufmanniana, otherwise known as water lily tulips, are also an early-season variety. This type of tulip comes in many colors--yellow, white, red, orange, pink and purple. The inside of the tulip will have a color that is entirely different than the outside color. Fosteriana Tulips are also a good early tomato season choice with a stem that can grow to a height of fourteen inches. They are among the largest flowers in this group.
Mid-season tulips (April) include the Darwin Hybid tulip, which grows to twenty inches tall and has very large flowers that can grow as wide as six inches. These come in a huge variety of colors, even black, and are well-known for having striped and speckled flowers in addition to solid colors. They are one of the best choices for cut flowers. Also blooming in mid- tulip season are Triumph Tulips. There are just a little shorter, ten to sixteen inches high and also look great in a bouquet. Parrot tulips get their name from their bud, which is thought to look like the beak of a parrot. They come in a wide range of colors and many are bi-colored. The flowers are unusual, with fringed edges and curly, twisted petals that look like they have feathering.
When it comes to late-season or May-flowering tulips, the choices include Scheeper hybrids, Darwin hybrids, cottage and breeder tulips. These are the largest of all tulips, growing anywhere from eight to thirty inches tall. Because of their long stems, they all make good cut flowers. They come as single varieties, double or peony-flowered, lily-flowered, and Viridiflora. Peony-flowered are thus named because of the extraordinary number of petals in each flower. Lily-flowered tulips can look like a star from above. Fringed tulips, that look like they have frayed edges, are also in this group.
Rembrandt tulips fall into the late-season category as well, though they are no longer being commercially produced. That’s because their color variations were the result of a contagious mosaic virus. They can still be found in flower museums and historical collections.