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Tulip Varieties That Come Back Strong Every Single Year
There are so many varieties of tulips available for purchase. But what many new gardeners don’t know is that all tulips are not created equal. In fact, many of the hybrid tulip varieties look amazing in their first year. But, over time they lose their mojo or even completely fail to bloom. In fact, many landscapers treat tulips as annuals; once they are done blooming, they are dug up and tossed in the compost pile.
But, not all tulips are created equal. While some varieties lose their luster in subsequent years, here are some tulips that will come back strong.
Fosteriana Tulips
Early in the 20th Century, a talented Dutch hybridizer named Lefeber worked long and hard with a wild red tulip called ‘Tulipa fosteriana’ from Central Asia. From it, he hybridized the group that became known as the Emperor Tulips, which are members of the ‘Fosteriana’ (or Foster) Tulip group.
Candela Foster Tulip (yellow)
Candela looks wonderful when planted in a large grouping. It is a pure yellow, 14″ high delight. Looks great with white daffodils, too. These also naturalize well. Candela received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM) from the Royal Horticultural Society.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid spring
- HEIGHT 12-18″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Orange Emperor Tulips (carrot orange)
Among spring’s first flowers, Orange Emperor Tulips are truly royal classics and a special favorite in Holland! Huge blooms have glowing orange petals with a pale yellow base inside and measure up to 10″ wide when fully opened. Emperors make a bold, dramatic focal point in every spring garden.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Early spring
- HEIGHT 14-16″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Princips Tulips (red)
Set the spring border ablaze with the large, flaming red blossoms of this early blooming Fosteriana. This standout’s short stature makes it perfect for the edge of the border. Works well in containers, too. Early.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Early Spring
- HEIGHT 6″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Red Emperor (Madam Lefeber) Tulip
The world-famous Red Emperor tulip was introduced in 1931, and is what we now call a member of the ‘Fosteriana Tulip’ group. In fact, Red Emperor’s official variety name is ‘Madame Lefeber’ in honor of the wife of the original hybridizer, Lefeber.
Quick Tip: Learn how to plant bulbs fast & easy using a power drill.
Triump Tulips
Don Quichotte Tulip (cerise pink)
Fall in love with these enormous, flirtatious pink tulips. Blossoms measure up to 5″ in size and top strong 18–20″ stems. Long-lasting blooms create a dramatic display in a border or mass planting. As cut flowers, they make exquisite bouquets.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid spring
- HEIGHT 18-20″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Kees Nelis Tulip (red with yellow-orange rim)
Kees Nelis tulip shines in the spring garden with blood red petals with broad yellow edge.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-7
- BLOOM TIME Spring
- HEIGHT 16-18″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Lily-Flowered Tulips
What makes lily-flowered tulips different from other varieties are their slender flowers with often pointed, recurving petals. Flower stems are thin and not very sturdy, making these varieties susceptible to wind damage. Planted in a sheltered location, they make great cut flowers and an excellent addition to mixed borders.
Alladin Tulip (scarlet with yellow rim)
Alladin is a remarkable lily-flowered tulip featuring scarlet goblet-shaped flowers with pointed and slightly reflexed petals presenting fine yellow edges. Blooming in the late spring garden, this tulip provides an elegant and graceful display when swaying in the spring breeze!
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Late spring
- HEIGHT 18-20″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Ballade Tulip (magenta with white rim)
With its graceful elegance and regal coloring, Ballade tulips are sure to inspire poets, musicians and gardeners alike. Uniquely shape with reflexing flowers that resemble a lily, the gorgeous violet-mauve blooms are margined in white and supported on wiry, strong stems.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Late spring
- HEIGHT 22″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Maytime Lily Flowering Tulip (red-violet)
Rich red-violet flowers with pointed and slightly reflexed petals adorned with snow white edges. Maytime is similar to Ballade variety tulip, but much narrower. Elegant, strong color that is very impressive in beds and bouquets year after year.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Late spring
- HEIGHT 16-24″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Red Shine Lily-Flowered Tulip (ruby red)
Red Shine is a two-time award winner for its long-lasting, radiant red goblet-shaped flowers with pointed petals. Blooming in late spring, Red Shine Tulip is elegant and graceful when swaying in the breeze.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Late spring
- HEIGHT 22″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
White Triumphator Tulip (pure white)
Elegant and impressively tall, White Triumphator is a beautiful, classic tulip that will delight you year after year. Blooming in late spring, it’s long lasting, large, pure white petals sit gracefully atop graceful stems.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Late spring
- HEIGHT 26-28″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
Darwin Hybrid Tulips
Darwin Hybrids have set the standards worldwide for tall graceful, large flowered perennial tulips. The famous Apeldoorn group was introduced in 1951 by D. W. Lefeber and Company. There are not many Darwin Hybrids, even today. But they are every good gardener’s favorites and always highly valued by florists.
Apeldoorn Perennial Tulip (cherry red)
Renowned by garden professionals, this breathtaking beauty is considered one of the best red long-stemmed tulips in American gardens. An excellent perennializer! The signal red hue on its large, 5″ flowers is made all the more dramatic by a touch of black at the base.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid spring
- HEIGHT 24-26″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Apeldoorne’s Elite Tulip (red and yellow)
As a Darwin hybrid, Apeldoorn’s Elite is already sure to make a bold statement in the garden. But where this tulip is truly elite is the vibrant, dazzling coloration on its 5″ blooms (juicy cherry red with vivid yellow edging). Use it to add sizzling flair to the cutting garden or plant in masses for a display like no other. Leave these bulbs in the ground for years of gorgeous blooms.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid Spring
- HEIGHT 20-24″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Holland’s Glorie (red-orange)
Holland’s Glorie is a tall tulip variety that produces vibrant, red-orange blooms on a muted, yellow base that stand on strong, pale green stems. This mildly fragrant variety is a perfect addition to patio containers, mixed borders and cut-flower displays.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid Spring
- HEIGHT 22-26″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
Red Oxford Darwin Tulip (scarlet red)
Red Oxford is America’s most popular red Darwin Tulip. Sitting atop tall, sturdy stems, its classic color is emphasized by its perfect tulip shape. Make sure to plant extra of this classic beauty for gorgeous spring bouquets that you can enjoy year after year.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid Spring
- HEIGHT 20-22″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Greigil Tulips
Red Riding Hood Greigil Tulips (red)
The beauty of this award-winning tulip’s blooms is rivaled only by the beauty of its foliage. Striking red-variegated leaves surround plump, ruffled petals of the deepest scarlet. Peer into the egglike cup and you’ll see a black heart! With their unique foliage coloration and petite size, only reaching 10-12″ tall, they look lovely at the front of a bloom-filled border.
- LIGHT Full-Part Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid Spring
- HEIGHT 10-12″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Attracts Bees
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Toronto Greigii Tulip (red to orange)
Toronto is a multi-flowering red-orange Greigii tulip with a bronze base that produces 3-5 flowers per bulb. The cup-shaped blooms rest on top of beautifully mottled leaves. The flowers will open broadly in full sun, bringing vermillion sparkles to your Mid-Spring garden each year!
- LIGHT Full Sun
- ZONE 3-8
- BLOOM TIME Mid Spring
- HEIGHT 12″
- SOIL REQUIREMENT Fertile, well drained
- Received AGM Award from the Royal Horticultural Society
Sources
- Buy Tulips Online at BloomingBulb
- The Four-Season Landscape: Easy-Care Plants and Plans for Year-Round Color by Susan Roth
Wrapping Up
While some tulip varieties look worse and worse each year, slowly puttering out until they don’t bloom at all, there ARE some varieties that are more hardy. In this post we learned about different Foster, Triump, Lily-Flowered and Darwin Hybrid tulip varieties you can try that will continue to bloom in your garden year after year.
If you want to plant a lot of tulips FAST, head over to this article to learn how to plant bulbs with a power drill!
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What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
Amy Fedele
Amy is the founder of Pretty Purple Door and has been a garden designer since 2014 and graphic designer since 2005. She helps home gardeners design their own beautiful landscapes that are colorful in all four seasons, show off your personality and suit your lifestyle. Amy's work has been featured in publications like The Spruce, Family Handyman, Buzzfeed, Country Living Magazine and more. Read full bio.