Tulip 'Queen of Night'
Tulipa 'Queen of Night' · Liliaceae Popular
Satiny flowers of deep maroon-purple, close to black, on tall, strong stems in late spring.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 5 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around tulip 'Queen of Night'
The planner designed this bed around tulip 'Queen of Night' 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 'Queen of Night' 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' × 3, blue
- 7 Tulip 'Queen of Night' × 3, purple
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is seen over dianthus 'Kahori' (8 in) in front of it.
- 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 late May.
- Opens the season. In its first week 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. The flowering is at its height in late June, with 4 kinds out together. Dianthus 'Kahori' flowers longest, for 17 weeks.
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 'Queen of Night' goes in a border
At 24 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 darkest tulip. It needs something pale beside it, or it disappears: white or pink tulips, lime-green spurge, or the new leaves of lady's mantle.
- Dark accents in late spring
- Contrast with white and pink tulips
- Cutting
What to plant with tulip 'Queen of Night'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady's mantle: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Cushion spurge: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for three weeks; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- English daisy: in flower together for three weeks, from early May; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about tulip 'Queen of Night'
Does tulip 'Queen of Night' need sun or shade?
Tulip 'Queen of Night' 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 'Queen of Night' 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 'Queen of Night' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late 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 May to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid May to late May |
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 6 | Early May to mid May |
| Zone 7 | Late 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 'Queen of Night' 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 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tulip 'Queen of Night' 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 'Queen of Night' 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 'Queen of Night''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, a recorded partner, in flower late May to early July.
- Cushion spurge: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late April to late May.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
What does tulip 'Queen of Night' look like in winter?
Tulip 'Queen of Night' 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 'Ballerina' Tulipa 'Ballerina'
- Tulip 'Fusilier' Tulipa praestans 'Fusilier'
- Tulip 'Lilac Wonder' Tulipa saxatilis 'Lilac Wonder'
- Tulip 'Purissima' Tulipa 'Purissima'
- 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
- 24 in (60 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 late May; open bowls; purple
- 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.