It’s easy. 

Don’t be confused by all the “classes” or types of tulips.  All you need to know is that the major groups bloom at different times, in succession, just like a flower parade.  So it’s important.

When we say “Early Spring” that means early spring in your area, (A surprise late freeze won’t hurt them.) Then comes Mid-Spring, Late Spring, and Very Late Spring.  If you plant some for each time period this fall, you’ll have at least 2 ½, maybe 3 months of fantastic full bloom in spring.  These are the major blooming groups:

Early Spring Bloom

Single Early and Double Early Tulips, plus lots of the smaller bulbs. (Crocus, Grape Hyacinth, etc.)  Choose our Double Early Mix, and you’ll have full-petaled double tulips that people often mistake for peonies—magnificent in a rainbow of colors. One of the most famous Early Singles is Purple Prince, a classic with the brightest, deepest purple of them all. Another early-blooming treat is our “Miniature Mix” that includes some of the wild tulips, all the size of a crocus.

Mid Spring Bloom

Triumph Tulips.  Triumphs are famous for the widest choice of colors, with the classic cup-shaped blooms. (They’re the florists’ favorite.) You can see their delicate shading of color and beautiful blooms in our Pastel Tulips Mix.

Mid to Late Spring Bloom

Darwin Hybrid Tulips  (Perennial, tallest, very large blooms.) The most popular are the ones with “Apeldoorn” in the name (That’s a city in Holland.), Pink Impression, Red Impression, and Golden Parade.

Very Late Spring Bloom

Double Late, Single Late, and Lily-flowered tulips. A very famous and well-loved Single Late Tulip is “Queen of the Night,” the world-renowned “black” tulip. (It’s not really black, but very dark, dark purple, and looks dramatically black in the garden.) My favorite Single Late is a bi-color called “Blushing Beauty.”  I planted lots of that one last year in large pots, and it was sensational. Everybody loves it.