Tulips are the stars of the spring garden, with their stately stems, colourful blooms, and early flowers. They're also a versatile choice for gardeners and are available in an array of colours, sizes, and shapes to suit any space. Whether you prefer the classic look of the single tulip or the showy blooms of parrot tulips, they're a favourite for perennial gardens, landscape projects, and cut flower arrangements. There are thousands of tulip varieties to choose from, but they can be divided into a number of categories, each with their own defining characteristics. 

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Kaufmanniana

Early spring blooms

Kaufmanniana tulips are very short, but what they lack in height they make up for in stunning flowers. They often have striped, star-shaped blooms in red, pink, and yellow with variegated foliage. If you’re looking for a showy choice for your rock garden, containers, beds, and borders, Kaufmanniana are the tulip for you.

Greigii

Early to mid-spring blooms

Greigii tulips are great naturalizers, and will spread and return for many years with more and more colourful blooms in early to mid spring. Colours include red, pink orange, yellow, and white. They produce bowl-shaped blooms and have uniquely striped or spotted foliage that adds extra interest. Greigii tulips are compact and bright, and are great candidates for forcing indoors.

Species

Early to mid-spring blooms

Species tulips encompass a range of non-hybrid tulip varieties with common characteristics. They’re typically smaller than hybrids, perennialize and naturalize more reliably, and some can produce more than one bloom per stem. Species tulips often have striped or variegated foliage, and come in many colours including red, yellow, pink, and orange. They’re a great choice for borders and rock gardens.

Emperor/Fosteriana

Early to mid-spring blooms

Emperor tulips boast huge blooms atop short, sturdy stems. They’re very reliable as perennial flowers, returning year after year in early to mid-spring with stunning displays of brightly coloured flowers. Emperor tulips come in a range of colours from pinks and reds to oranges and yellows, with a few white cultivars too. If you’re looking for a tulip variety to naturalize and cover your space, Emperors are a great choice.

Single Early

Early to mid-spring blooms

Single early tulips have cup-shaped, 6 petal flowers, producing one flower per stalk. They bloom from early to mid-spring and are a lovely complement to daffodils and crocus in the garden. As they’re tolerant of cold temperatures, single early tulips are a great choice for northern gardens that experience spring frosts. Available in a wide range of colours from white all the way to dark purple, single early tulips can be fragrant and have strong stems that make them ideal candidates for cut flower arrangements.   

Double Early

Early to mid-spring blooms

Double early tulips have bowl-shaped flowers with twice as many petals as single early varieties. They’re often on the short side, but their stems are very sturdy. Their lush blooms give them an elegant appearance, almost like a peony, and they come in both single colour and multicolour varieties.

Triumph

Mid-spring blooms

Triumph are one of the most commonly seen types of tulips, and for good reason. They come in a huge range of colours with classic single, cup-shaped blooms and medium length stems that hold up well against bad weather. They’re a good choice for a range of uses in garden beds and containers, from bedding to forcing to growing in containers and even as cut flowers.

Darwin Hybrid

Mid-spring blooms

Darwin Hybrid tulips are popular for their big, colourful blooms. They’re available in a full rainbow of hues, and have a classic, cup-shaped flower. They tend to be taller and are a great choice for cut flower arrangements. Darwin hybrids bloom in mid spring and do best when planted in an area with some shelter from high winds. They’re also great candidate for forcing.

Single Late

Mid to late spring blooms

Single early tulips are known for their tall stems and large blooms, which appear in mid to late spring. They come in tons of colours, from white to red to purple-black. Each bloom is comprised of a cup-shaped, 6 petal flower, and they can grow up to twice as tall as their early spring counterparts. Plant them at the back of a bed where their height will let them stand out, or add them to a cut flower arrangement for colour and elegance.

Double Late/Peony

Late spring blooms

Double late or double peony tulips are so named because of their resemblance to the magnificent blooms of peonies. Their double-petal flowers are big, lush and elegant and come in many colours including bicolour varieties. Their blooms are long lasting, especially when planted in an area where they’ll be protected against harsh weather. Double peony tulips are often fragrant and are an excellent choice for beds and cut flower gardens.

Lily Flowering

Late spring blooms

Lily flowering tulips have pointed petal tips that resemble the flowers of lilies, with hourglass-shaped blooms. They’re on the taller side, but shorter varieties will have stronger stems. Lily flowering tulips come in many colours including red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, white, and bicolours.

Fringed

Late spring blooms

Fringed tulips arose as genetic mutations of other varieties, and have been selectively bred for their characteristic serrated petals. Most fringed tulips have single petals, but there are a few double varieties too. Their heights can vary from variety to variety, as can their bloom times, but most flower in late spring. Fringed tulips bring a unique feel to your garden beds, and are best planted near the front where their standout looks can be fully appreciated.

Viridiflora

Late spring blooms

As their name suggests, vridiflora tulips are characterized by green striped flowers. Their blooms are remarkably long lasting, and they make an eye-catching addition to your cottage garden or cut flower displays. Aside from the typical green stripe, viridiflora flowers come in a range of colours. Their long lasting blooms make them a great addition to your cut flower garden.

Parrot

Late spring blooms

Parrot tulips are another type that derives from mutations of other varieties. They have showy, feathery petals and come in vibrant colours, including many bicolour varieties. They’re typically medium height and do best in areas with protection from harsh weather. Add them to your cut flower garden to make a statement in your flower arrangements.