Tulip 'Ballerina'
Tulipa 'Ballerina' · Liliaceae
Slender, lily-shaped flowers of tangerine orange with pointed, reflexed petals, and a sweet scent unusual in a tulip.
- Size
- 22 in tall, 5 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early May to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around tulip 'Ballerina'
The planner designed this bed around tulip 'Ballerina' 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 tulip 'Ballerina' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 3, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 15, blue
- 3 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 6 Caucasian scabious 'Fama' × 5, blue
- 7 Tulip 'Ballerina' × 3, orange
- 8 Camassia × 2, blue
Why this plant
- The only orange. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 22 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for three weeks. From early May to mid May.
- Opens the season. For its first two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- 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: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. There is more leadwort than anything else, 15 plants in all. The longest in flower is dianthus 'Kahori': 17 weeks, from mid May to early September.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 tulip 'Ballerina' goes in a border
At 22 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The most graceful orange tulip, and one of the more lasting. Its waisted flowers sway on thin stems. Orange with the purple of honesty or alliums is a famous pairing.
- Orange for late spring
- Scent
- Partnering with purple
What to plant with tulip 'Ballerina'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation': takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May.
- Cushion spurge: in flower together for three weeks, from early May; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
Questions about tulip 'Ballerina'
Does tulip 'Ballerina' need sun or shade?
Tulip 'Ballerina' 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 tulip 'Ballerina' 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 tulip 'Ballerina' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to mid 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 | Mid May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 5 | Early May to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Late April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
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 tulip 'Ballerina' be planted?
5 in (12 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 22 in (55 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tulip 'Ballerina' 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 a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is tulip 'Ballerina' 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 the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
What can I plant to hide tulip 'Ballerina''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:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Cushion spurge: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late April to late May.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does tulip 'Ballerina' look like in winter?
Tulip 'Ballerina' 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)
- Greigii tulip Tulipa greigii
- Lady tulip Tulipa clusiana
- Tarda tulip Tulipa tarda
- Tulip Tulipa
- Tulip 'Angelique' Tulipa 'Angelique'
- Tulip 'Apeldoorn' Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'
- 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
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 22 in (55 cm) tall, 5 in (12 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 in (12 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early May to mid May; open bowls; orange
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; grey-green
- 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
Checked against 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.