Tulip 'Spring Green'
Tulipa 'Spring Green' · Liliaceae
Ivory-white petals, each with a broad, feathered flame of soft green up the centre.
- Size
- 18 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 'Spring Green'
The planner designed this bed around tulip 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' × 3, white
- 8 Camassia × 2, blue
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 18 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 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. Tatarian aster 'Jindai' and foxglove beardtongue anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, leadwort and Tatarian aster 'Jindai'.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 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 'Spring Green' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A Viridiflora tulip. The green makes it the best mixer in the tulip world: it sits easily with every colour and with fresh spring foliage. Long-lasting in flower.
- A cool link between other tulips
- White and green schemes
- Cutting
What to plant with tulip 'Spring Green'
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.
- Hosta 'Royal Standard': carries the spot on into early September; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- English daisy: red against green, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about tulip 'Spring Green'
Does tulip 'Spring Green' need sun or shade?
Tulip 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' 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 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tulip 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green' 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 'Spring Green''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.
- Hosta 'Royal Standard': 2 ft tall and 3½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower early August to early September.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
What does tulip 'Spring Green' look like in winter?
Tulip 'Spring Green' 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 'Queen of Night' Tulipa 'Queen of Night'
- 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
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 5 in (12 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 in (12 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; open bowls; white, green
- 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.