Tulips!!!

This week – Tulips! You know you want tulips in spring with their bright showy colors. The range of variation in tulips is so wide, you are sure to find one or three or twenty you just HAVE to have.
Concerning whether the tulips you select will perennialize, the truth is most tulips do not come back well for years. Most bloom well for two or three years and are then done. Consider this your opportunity to redo your color scheme every couple of years. There are so many variations in tulips you will want to try many. Species tulips will perennialize better than most. These are smaller but can still have a big impact. They look good tucked here and there in such places as rock gardens. For big presence and faithfully returning year after year choose Darwin Hybrid tulips. These are available in a range of colors and combinations of colors. Most of these are about two feet in height with huge flowers. “Banja Luka” is a very striking Darwin Hybrid with deep yellow petals accented with bold markings of bright red. “Ollioules” (don’t ask me how to pronounce this), “Elizabeth Arden” and “Pink Impression” are three excellent selections for those of you who like pink like I do.
For a fantastic variety in color try some “Triumph” tulips. One can plant some very striking color combinations using the many varieties available. Greigii tulips are unique with their mottled leaves and also gorgeous flowers. Since I have such fond memories of my two trips to Russia, I think I will plant the Greigii tulip – “Tsar Peter.”
Lily flowering tulips are just what they claim – they resemble lilies with their pointed petals and narrow graceful blooms. “Marilyn” is white edged with a startling red. “Westpoint” is a lovely yellow. With red petals and gold tips, “Queen of Sheba” is a striking lily flowered choice.
For all of you who like something very different in your gardens – no plain red tulips for you! – try the Parrot tulips. I have had these return for a few years quite well and I really love them. Their petals are curled and twisted in bizarre shapes in some awesome colors. My favorite is Black Parrot – a dark purple black. I would love to be able to plant a group of fifty of these – alas – haven’t the room. Apricot Parrot is also stunning in a combination of cream, yellow, pink, and green – it has won several awards.
Another unusual tulip variety are the Viridiflora tulips. They last a long time and have prominent green feather markings on their petals. My favorite of these is “Greenland” with cream petals looking as if they were dipped in rose colored paint and accented with spring green feather markings on the sides.
Peony flowering tulips are just that – they resemble peonies with fully double petals. My two favorites here are “Black Hero,” a very dark near-black purple and “Angelique,” an ethereal blend of cream and pink.
Fringed Tulips aka “Crispa Tulips” add an elegant and beautiful look to your spring garden with their petals that are edged with a fine delicate looking fringe. There is one that is nearly breath taking – “Cummins” – lavender with prominent white-fringed edges – but they are all beautiful.
In conclusion I would like to say no matter what tulip you decide to select it will always be an excellent choice. You will definitely enjoy their bright blooms come spring.
Perennial Spotlight on: Variegated Filipendula
This is a shade/part shade perennial that has gorgeously marked leaves. It reaches about three feet tall eventually. Mine is at two feet and is two years old. The small but attractive blooms are somewhat like astilbes, are fragrant in a creamy white color, and flower in July. The foliage is what I really love. It is a wonderful bright contrast in a mixed shade bed of other shade lovers – hostas, ferns, meadow rue, hellebores, etc. It likes moist soil and dislikes full sun.