Looking for bulbs that come back reliably year after year? We asked plant experts and growers for their advice on reliably perennial tulips, plus other beautiful spring bulbs to grow with them
WORDS VERONICA PEERLESS
Concerns around sustainability – not to mention our increasingly restricted wallets and time – mean that many of us are looking for longer-term, reliably perennial spring bulb displays.
Tulips are, of course, a must for spring colour, but hybrids (the tall, showy types that give the best display) have been bred to perform well for just one year. So how can we achieve brilliant spring displays without having to buy fresh bulbs every year?
Naturally perennial tulips
One option is to choose a naturally perennial tulip. These include species tulips and their primary hybrids such as Tulipa greigii, T. kaufmanniana, T. praestans, T. tarda and T. turkestanica. However, they are generally short in stature, with smaller flowers, so tend not to work well in borders. Not all species tulips last well in British gardens, either, thanks to our wet climate – in the wild, they hail from very well-drained spots in hot climates. They therefore grow best where they have good drainage, for example in raised beds, gravel gardens or rockeries, or where they are sheltered from rain, such as under a tree or hedge.
Reliable performers
Viridiflora tulips have chlorophyll in their flowers, which are tinged with green. Because the flower photosynthesises too, the bulb has extra reserves of energy, and so is more likely to bloom year after year. Viridiflora tulips include T. ‘Spring Green’, ‘Groenland’ and ‘Artist’, and the new ‘Orange Marmalade’.
Darwin hybrids, a cross between T. fosteriana and more conventional hybrid tulips, are also reliably perennial. They have huge flowers and very large bulbs, and usually come in red, orange, yellow or pink. They include the bright-red ‘Apeldoorn’ and the Impression Series.
We’ve probably all noticed tulips that come back year after year in our gardens that fall outside of these categories. “We have extensive plantings of annual tulips that are grown as perennials in our walled garden and naturalised in grass,” says Polly Nicholson, expert tulip grower and owner of Baytun Flowers in Wiltshire. “Over the years we have developed a master list of those that perform most reliably for us year on year,” she says, but suggest
