Who is the intended audience for your spring flower garden? If I were answering that question, I’d say it’s mostly me. Yet my garden is not only for me. It's also for everyone who comes by and enjoys its beauty and abundance. So when I’m thinking about ordering flower bulbs for my spring bulb garden, I keep these other admirers in mind.
The spring bulbs that get me most excited are early jewels like snowdrops, crocus and chionodoxa, unusual varieties such as Delnashaugh daffodils and La Belle Epoch tulips, and experimental color pairings such as tulips Toronto and Artist. But I know that these are not the crowd-pleasers.
When winter finally turns to spring, most people are looking for one thing: color. The bolder the better. So, if one of the reasons you plant spring bulbs is to dazzle your friends, neighbors, family members and passersby, don't be subtle about it. Go for big and bright.
A Combination of Oxford and Oxford Elite Tulips
Choose Hot Colors for a Big Impact
If you want your spring garden to deliver a jolt of bright spring color, count on red, orange and yellow tulips. In the landscape, cool colors like purple and burgundy tend to recede, while warm colors like red and orange seem to come toward us. This optical illusion intensifies their impact. Learn more about using these colors here: How to Use Red in Your Flower Garden, How to Use Orange in Your Flower Garden.
In the changeable weather of spring, tulips in these radiant hues have another advantage. Dreary, grey days intensify their perceived warmth. And when the sun does shine, they glow as if lit from within.
Plant Single Colors or Color Harmonies
Planting blocks of a single color is an easy way to grab attention. A combination of two or more colors that share a similar saturated hue can be equally effective. Another option is to choose a variety with two warm colors in a single flower. Read on for some inspiration.
Emperor tulips bloom in the early half of tulip season. They have big, goblet-shaped flowers on sturdy 12-15” stems. The blossoms open wide on sunny days. Choose red, orange or yellow -- or combine all three.
Double Early Tulip Monsella
Monsella is a double early tulip with big, long-lasting flowers that can catch your eye from a block away. As the blossoms mature, they open wide and can be as much as 7" across. Nice for cutting, too.
Banja Luka is a sturdy Darwin hybrid tulip with extra-large cups and excellent substance. The golden-yellow petals have fire engine red feathering.
This Darwin Hybrid tulip has plump, beautifully-shaped blossoms on 20" stems. Ad Rem's petals are a distinctive shade of red with just a hint of yellow at the edges.
Single Bright Tulip Collection
This assortment includes both mid and late-season tulip varieties to ensure a full month of blooms. Varieties are Ad Rem, Blushing Apeldoorn, Prins Armin, Sky High Scarlet and La Courtine.
This blend includes three Darwin hybrids: Red Impression, Blushing Apeldoorn and Pink Impression. The combination of colors may sound odd, but the pink moderates the heat of the other two colors. This photo is from our trial garden and the mix has become a customer favorite.
Tulips always look best in numbers, so plant them as generously as possible. To help make that happen, we offer Blushing Apeldoorn, Red Impression and the Sunset Mix at a special reduced price when you purchase them in 100 count bags. Tulips make the world a happier place. Tuck some bulbs into the ground this fall and spread the joy!
Learn more here: How to Plant and Grow Tulip Bulbs (video), Planning Guide for Tulips, and Spacing Recommendations for Fall-Planted Bulbs.
