Greigii tulip
Tulipa greigii · Liliaceae
Short, sturdy tulips with large, brilliant flowers and broad leaves striped and mottled with maroon. 'Red Riding Hood' is the best known.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around greigii tulip
The planner designed this bed around greigii tulip when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why greigii tulip stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 8, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 3 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 5 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 6 Bergenia 'Bressingham White' × 3, white
- 7 Greigii tulip × 8, red
- 8 Star of Persia × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only red.
Why here
- Near the front. At 10 in it stands ahead of bergenia 'Bressingham White' (14 in) without hiding it.
- 8 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid April to early May.
- In company. With bergenia 'Bressingham White' in mid April: 2 kinds at once.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, blue and purple) and uses yellow and red for warmth, with white to calm things between them. In winter there are still arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' and bergenia 'Bressingham White' to look at.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where greigii tulip goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
The striped leaves are attractive for weeks before the flowers open. Short stems make them wind-proof, and they come back better than the tall hybrids.
- The front of a spring bed
- Containers
- Decorative foliage before and after flowering
What to plant with greigii tulip
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Grape hyacinth: blue against orange, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Creeping phlox: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Candytuft: in flower together for three weeks, from mid April; fine leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about greigii tulip
Does greigii tulip need sun or shade?
Greigii tulip grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does greigii tulip grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does greigii tulip flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should greigii tulip be planted?
5 in (12 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many greigii tulip plants do I need?
At 5 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 74 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 26 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 238 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is greigii tulip poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. The bulbs are the most poisonous part and cause vomiting, drooling and diarrhoea in pets. Handling the bulbs can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat greigii tulip?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide greigii tulip's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does greigii tulip look like in winter?
Greigii tulip is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Tulipa
- Darwin hybrid tulip Tulipa (Darwin hybrids)
- Lady tulip Tulipa clusiana
- Tarda tulip Tulipa tarda
- Tulip Tulipa
- Tulip 'Angelique' Tulipa 'Angelique'
- Tulip 'Apeldoorn' Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'
- Tulip 'Ballerina' Tulipa 'Ballerina'
- Tulip 'Fusilier' Tulipa praestans 'Fusilier'
- Tulip 'Lilac Wonder' Tulipa saxatilis 'Lilac Wonder'
- Tulip 'Purissima' Tulipa 'Purissima'
- Tulip 'Queen of Night' Tulipa 'Queen of Night'
- Tulip 'Spring Green' Tulipa 'Spring Green'
- Turkestan tulip Tulipa turkestanica
- Waterlily tulip Tulipa kaufmanniana
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 in (12 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; open bowls; red, orange, yellow, pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, summer-dormant; variegated
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Comes from
- Turkistan
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.