Every year we as gardeners have the same question. What kind of flower bulbs do I want; Colorful, fancy, or fragrant tulips do I want to show up the next spring?
Do I want a tulip mixture bag or do I want 10 tulip bulbs of each variety? These days there are so many choices. Time for planting tulip bulbs is between September and late November depending on the Hardiness Zone you are in.

If there’s a tulip flower that isn’t beautiful it would be hard to find. That makes for a wide variety of choices when it comes to picking flower bulbs on the basis of appearance alone.

Solid colors do tend to dominate, though. Tulips are available in everything from pink to peach to yellow, orange, red tulips, purple, along with black and white. Such species as Purple Prince and White Cascade provide clues to the flower’s color.

But there are also a number of stipled, striped or speckled species. So-called Parrot tulips, for example come in solid colors but there are several bi-colored cultivars. Apricot Parrot, Blue Parrot, Black Parrot and White Parrot give you the idea. Saxatilis produces lavender-pink flowers that are yellow at the base.

Color isn’t the only criteria for beauty, though. Flower style provides variety and gives gardeners a chance to mix and match. The image of tulips as a kind of tiny, colored liquor glass-shape is misleading since they come in a number of different shapes.

The previously mentioned Parrot Tulips, for instance, have buds that resemble the bird’s beak, hence their name. The flowers then open wide in the sun until they’re practically flat like a large Narcissus. Chrysanthas are another type that open to form a star-shaped flower. One type, called Tubergen’s Gem, is particularly striking.

Another point is time of blooming. Do I want ‘early birds’ like

Donald Duck Tulips	Firespray	Monsella Double Early	Vanilla Cream

or do I want late tulips like

Passionale Tulip	Sancerre Tulip	Snowfire Tulip	Hotpants Tulip

A whole class, called Greigii Tulips, produce large, colorful blooms that average six inches across. The outer petals stretch out nearly flat, while a series
of inner ones have a more stereotypical tulip shape.

They also have foliage that is purplish and striped or mottled, demonstrating that it isn’t just the appearance
of the flower that can influence your choice.

Greigii are a good choice for another reason, as well. Tulips are often treated as annuals because they’re hard to get to bloom for more than a year or two.
But Greigii Tulips are long-living and can bloom for several years with only average care.

Cape Cod, Chopin, Red Riding Hood and other delightful names produce equally delightful plants year after year.

At the other side, there are many so-called Species Tulips that create unusually small blossoms that are attractive for that reason. Species Tulips are cultivated wildflowers and they’re very hardy.

Persian Pearl, for example, is a perfect choice for those who want to provide minimal care. They’re also one of the few tulips that can be left in the ground year round and still be expected to bloom the next year.

The desired scent is another possible criteria.

Couleur Cardinal, General de Wet and Yokohama are only a few of the tulip species that have a delightful fragrance. These Single Early tulips are the perfect choice for a rock garden or an indoor pot.

Sylvestris, sometimes known as the Forest Tulip, is another good option. They produce fragrant yellow flowers on stems about six to ten inches tall.

Whichever category or species you choose, whether for ease of care or esthetic preference or both, look for healthy bulbs at least an inch and a half high. Larger species may be up to three to five inches.

Unless bulbs from different species have been accidentally mixed, smaller bulbs in a batch will (in general) not be as healthy. All should be free of any dark spots, too.

A healthy tulip bulb will be surrounded by several layers of dry, brown ‘onion skin’ that protects the bulb. It should be firm to the touch with no soft spots.

Feed your flower bulbs

While each plant is a complete plant factory in itself, with built-in nourishment, it is a good idea to mix a quantity of fertilizer for bulbs and perennials with the loose soil at the bottom of your planting.

This will provide additional food without any danger of “burning”. Never apply fresh or half-rotted manure directly on bulbs and perennials.

As soon as the shoots break through the ground in the spring, repeat the fertilizer application. Do not fertilize spring flowering bulbs after they have started flowering. This tends to encourage the development of bulb rot and sometimes shortens the life of the flowers.

Summer and fall flowering bulbs should be fertilized monthly from shoot emergence until the plants reach full flower. The optimum pH range for bulbs is 6 to 7.

If you don’t know the soil ph, a soil test of the planting area is necessary to determine if lime needs to be applied to adjust the soil pH.

If needed, limestone should be worked into the soil. For good tulip bulbs development, work a bulb and perennials fertilizer into the soil at planting.

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