Ones that return and ones that don’t

Why is that some tulips will come back year after year while others won’t? This deserves an explanation. Tulips can be divided into two groups: the ones that return and the ones that don’t. The ones that don’t, produce a lavish display of flowers during the first year after they were planted. After that, they won’t. The ones that return will come back year after year. These are the botanical tulips. Because they naturalize, planting them once is all you have to do. After that, they require no additional care. An extra advantage is that wind and weather don’t affect them either. As easy as pie – even for people who know nothing about flower bulbs.

Ahead of the rest

Botanical tulips are also sometimes referred to as dwarf rockery tulips because they are smaller than other tulips. After all, they only grow to a height of 5 to 8 inches. Also typical of botanical tulips are their star-shaped flowers. And botanical tulips are ahead of the rest because they bloom before any other kinds of tulips. Botanical tulips are available in about 65 different varieties, each with its special shape, colour or fragrance. The more familiar species are labelled Turkestanica, Tarda and Saxatilis. Lesser known but very special is a cultivar named ‘Lady Jane’ and a species known as Tulipa humilus. Since you don’t see them everywhere, you’ll have a unique flower in your garden – and doesn’t that make them even nicer?

Nice for special little spots and flower containers

The best time to plant botanical tulips is in September and October. As long as they get a little sun, botanical tulips will steal the show in special little spots, flower containers and rock gardens. The bulbs should be planted around 4 inches deep.