Tulip
Tulipa · Liliaceae Popular
Clean, saturated colour on upright stems in mid to late spring. Many hybrids fade after a few years, so top up the planting or choose types sold as perennial.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around tulip
The planner designed this bed around 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 tulip 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 × 5, yellow
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- A classic partner for leadwort. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- Near the front. At 18 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and caucasian scabious 'Fama' (24 in) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 5 plants in one handful. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
- Beside leadwort. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late April to mid May.
- Opens the season. For its first three 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. The longest in flower is dianthus 'Kahori': 17 weeks, from mid May to early September. Cool colours (pink, blue and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
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 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: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
Tulips give the cleanest, strongest colour of spring, but many fade out after a few years. Plant clusters between perennials that will cover the gap, and treat the large hybrids as a show to be topped up.
- Strong spring colour in sun
- Cut flowers
- Coming up through low perennials
What to plant with tulip
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': takes over when it finishes, flowering from early June; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Peony: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Tulip vs Daffodil.
Questions about tulip
Does tulip need sun or shade?
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 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 tulip flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April 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 | Early May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 5 | Late April to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Mid 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 be planted?
6 in (15 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 plants do I need?
At 6 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 48 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 21 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 153 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 five in one group.
Is 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.
What can I plant to hide 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:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower early June to early October.
- Peony: 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower late May to late June.
What does tulip look like in winter?
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)
- Greigii tulip Tulipa greigii
- Lady tulip Tulipa clusiana
- Tarda tulip Tulipa tarda
- 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
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 in (15 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late April to mid May; open bowls; red, pink, yellow, white, purple, orange
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; 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 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.