A rainbow of May tulips

Southern Ontario is known for its changeable spring weather: one week we need a coat, the next week we’re in shorts.

Fluctuating weather makes it hard to predict when the spring bulbs will be at their peak and how long the blooms will last. This year, we had a cool and wet April, which meant the early daffodils lasted for ages; but May brought unseasonably hot temperatures forcing tulips to bloom in a hurry.

Over the past few years, many new bulbs were added to the garden, so I decided it was time to step back and take a quick inventory. Hands down favourites are tulips in pastel shades of cream, pink, lavender, peach, violet and black/purple — I was able to collect 17 varieties just in this colour palette. The actual tulip count is somewhere close to 40 (or more) varieties when the early, mid-season and late varieties, and a complete range of colours are included.

How did I ever get around to planting so many different tulips?

It happened gradually. Tulips are not known for their ability to return year after year, so a few extra bulbs are planted each autumn. As a rule, daffodils multiply and come back each spring, but tulips are more temperamental.

Tulips are native to the Middle East, where hot dry summers are the norm. They need well-drained summer gardens to perennialize here in southern Ontario. Mischievous squirrels can also wreak havoc on a tulip bed (I caught our local squirrel digging up and then munching on the bulbs as if they were apples) and it’s easy to inadvertently slice the bulbs in half when digging in the gardens. Between sprinklers, pests and careless digging — it’s a wonder any come back at all.

Despite the trials and tribulations, it wouldn’t be spring without a splash of their pastel and occasionally flamboyant colours, so I plant a few hundred extra bulbs each fall. That may sound excessive, but with seven to nine bulbs planted together in a group, that’s only 12 holes to dig for each hundred bulbs. One of the challenges is remembering where the spring garden could use a little extra colour, especially when the borders are brimming with fall colour.

Tip: take pictures (a cellphone is handy for this) of the spots that are lacking in colour now, before you plant them up with your summer annuals. Make a note to plant bulbs in the fall on your phone’s calendar.

Some of the easiest bulbs to perennialize are the smaller species or botanical tulips.

Daystemon Tarda, with cheerful star-like yellow and white flowers, reliably bloom year after year in the harsh bed under the tree on our boulevard. It is usually the first tulip to bloom in the spring.

Little Beauty came in a bag of mixed botanical tulips, is similar in form but later blooming, with bright reddish-pink flowers and a violet blue centre that fades to white.

Saxatalis blooms toward the end of the tulip season, with pink/lavender star-shaped petals and a yellow centre. It is a real showstopper when planted with larger tulips in shades of pink and violet. This tulip multiplies to form generous patches over time.

The botanical tulips tend to have narrow leaves and shorter stature and they are easier to blend into the border after they finish blooming. Do not cut back the foliage of tulips after they have finished blooming —the leaves feed the bulb for next year’s flowers. Leave them in place until they turn brown and can be easily pulled away.

In the past, I planted single early and mid-season blooming tulips. But these days, it’s the late-flowering and more unusual lily, fringed, double peony and exotic parrot tulips that have won my heart. Surprisingly, these exotic looking bulbs are not all prima donnas that need to be replaced each year. Lily flowered Blushing Beauty (pink and yellow blend) and several solid pink and pink/white lily flowered tulips (names unknown) have come back reliably for nearly 10 years.

A patch of peony flower Angelique tulips (cream/pink) along with single pink and Saxatalis tulips have naturalized in a patch of garden that is relatively dry over the summer months. Several single white tulips and white with pink streaks have also decided to come back in this same bed.

One of my favourite tulips this season was bought on whim at the end of last year. Estella Rijnveld is a very old, superb garden variety, with white and red-flamed petals. The huge flowers are very showy with feathered, curled, twisted or waved petals, they make fabulous cut flowers. The red flowers are a perfect choice to celebrate this Year of the Garden.

With another snap of hot weather due this weekend, I’ll be wishing my tulips a fond farewell — the greenhouse is brimming with colourful annuals waiting to set the stage for the summer season. Happy gardening.