The Pinnacle of Tulip Season
In our garden, Tulip season is at its peak.
Our potted tulips provide a warm welcome to the front door.
While ‘Early Harvest’ and ‘Keizerskroon’ have faded, some of the Early Singles are still going strong. For example, ‘Couleur Cardinal’ above (first pot) and ‘Princess Irene’ (second pot). The third pot is ‘Annie Schilder’, a Triumph Tulip that blooms later than the Early Singles.
Here’s a closeup of a pot full of ‘Princess Irene’. I adore this Tulip.
Now here are some ‘Ballerina’, a Lily Flowered Tulip.
Some ‘Ballerina’ planted in a bed.
More ‘Ballerina’ (first pot), with ‘King’s Orange’ (second pot).
‘King’s Orange’ (left), ‘Couleur Cardinal’ (middle), and ‘Ballerina’ (right) backlit by the sun.
One of the nice things about growing Tulips in pots is that you can move them around as they come into bloom, then fade. This pot of ‘King’s Orange’ has taken over for the faded pot of ‘Keizerskroon’ that used to be here.
‘Kingsblood’ is the only Single Late Tulip I’ve got in a container. It’s nice, sure, but just a little dull compared to some of the others. I don’t think I’ll order it again for next year.
But let’s not forget the late season Species Tulips, like ‘Little Princess’.
Backlit by the afternoon sun.
And rose-magenta ‘Little Beauty’.
Tulipa clusiana is still blooming as well. Here Tulipa clusiana ‘Lady Jane’ is more open, taking on more of a candy cane look.
Are Tulips still blooming in your garden?
gardeninacity 
Gorgeous! I especially like ‘Princess Irene’ in the pot. We are way paste tulips here. Heading into summer!
Spring has been slow to heat up around here. Perhaps we will have a cool summer – a mixed blessing.
No – mine are almost completely over now, so lovely to enjoy yours! The potted tulips are, of course, gorgeous (especially Princess Irene & Couleur Cardinal), but I particularly enjoyed your little botanical tulips T.clusiana is a sweetie. Does it persist in the garden?
For me it’s been coming back for about five years.
Well then … it’s go ahead and order time for me!
What a lovely welcome to your visitors, you have a stunning display! I have one pot of mixed bulbs still flowering, the others are over now, but next year I have told myself that I must plant more.
Thank you! It is only natural to want more tulips ever spring!
My tulips were even earlier than usual this year Jason; they were at their peak from mid-March to mid-April.
They started earlier here, then they got nipped by frost.
Hi Jason, your tulips are all beautiful, I love hot colours at this time of year they look so zingy and welcoming. I grow Ballerina and despite a mini heatwave, now over and back to the more usual UK rain, they are still looking good.
The ‘Ballerina’ we planted are also pretty persistent this year.
How lovely all those tulips in pots ! My tulips are past flowering now .
Ours will probably last another week or so.
Tulips are just a memory in South Carolina, but I’m thrilled to enjoy yours!
I guess there are benefits to having a later spring.
Gorgeous. Tulips are such fabulous plants, aren’t they? Here, ‘Ballerina’, ‘Queen of the Night’ and ‘Arjuna’ are still blooming but just on the point of fading and most of the others have gone over now. I’m making notes of more to buy for next year..!
I’m thinking I should plant more late season tulips. I don’t have Arjuna but it looks like my kind of tulip!
I think Lady Jane looks more like a radish flower. I have made radish flowers for parties. This is what they look like, only on a smaller scale of course. Love all of your tulips. So cheerful. I have none blooming now. I only have an early white tulip. It is finished for the season. My Irises are blooming up a storm now.
Ooh, I have almost no Irises. I really need to take over the neighbors’ yards to have the room I need for plants.
What wonderful variety you have. Ours are just starting to bloom.
Then you have the whole season to look forward to.
I can see why you call it tulip season. Spectacular! Ours are gone and the leaves are beginning to brown.
Thank you. Once the Tulips are done, we can always start looking forward to next year.
Amen.
No tulips in my garden. The rodents, which we have aplenty at the little house in the big woods, are too fond of the bulbs. So lovely to see yours, and if I lived in your neighborhood, then I would stroll daily by your house to look at your beautiful flowers.
The rodents are a problem. Using containers helps.
Gorgeous display. I do have a question though. How long have you had those tulips in the pot? Do you have a need to separate them from time to time as they increase and multiply? I have some Asiatic lilies in a pot, but I fear they may be getting too crowded now.
It’s new bulbs every year. A bit extravagant, but if we put them in the ground the squirrels get them, or they get lost or dug up amid the perennials, and they don’t come back well a second or third year anyhow. Jason may add more about it. I begged for tulips, which is how we got started on all this.
Lovely, Jason. When did you plant these tulips in the pots? I’ve never tried that.
I’ve done it every fall for the last few years.
Stunning! I love the colors : )
Thanks!
You seem to be rather a tulip connoisseur Jason. I love them too especially the dwarf ones which come up every year and a few species types set seed and the clumps spread.
In recent years I have extended my range to include intermediate size ones and on my sandy soil come up every year.. In a warm well drained sunny position they go from strength to strength.
I like lots of different species tulips and also the Kaufmannianas. Any particular intermediate varieties doing well for you?
We have squirrels visiting our UK garden and they love nibbling on plump tulip bulbs in autumn. Some remain uneaten and live to flower in spring and this year we have orange tulips too. I wrote a short post about them last week if you would like to have a look. https://countrygardenuk.com/2016/05/06/looking-good-6th-may/
The tulips in pots stay safe from the rodents. My problem is that the rabbits will nibble on some of the early tulip leaves in the beds and borders.
Lovely photos. I don’t do well with tulips because the wild rabbits always seem to get to the buds before they have a chance to bloom. I have only one small patch of tulips left which comes up every year and so far the rascals haven’t noticed it. Keep your fingers crossed!
How do you store all your pots in the winter?
In the ground, covered with wire cloth to keep out the squirrels. https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/bring-out-your-container-tulips/
We’ve had a cool rainy stretch and all of our bulbs have been held in stasis. We even still have daffodils blooming, and some haven’t yet.
The tulips are beautiful Nice warm colors for a cool spring and putting them in pots was a great idea.
That’s once nice thing about a cool spring, the spring flowers last so much longer.
Your tulips are wonderful! I have made a note to look out for Princess Irene in the autumn. She is up there on my wishlist! The tulips are still strutting their stuff here. I am sitting at my desk and looking out at White Triumphator. I was at Blickling Hall this week. I went to see their English bluebell wood, and ‘strayed’ into the garden to feast my eyes on their wonderful tulips. It is no wonder that people bankrupted themselves over tulips, is it?
It’s a good thing I’m not a 17th Century Dutchman.
Stunning, your pots are sensational, worth all that trouble of burying them. I am enjoying tulips too at the moment but I never have enough. If you plant them in the garden you need hundreds to make a decent display.
Hundreds are good, thousands are better. Actually I plant about 120 every fall.
Delightful. You really do have your pots down to a fine art. I’ve enjoyed Princess Irene in a pot in my own garden this year after copying you!
Happy to hear it!
Very pretty. I do like all the hot colors. It looks so Cinco de Mayo festive.
Your tulips all look so healthy. I love Ballerina and you have captured their beauty well.
Well said.
Warm welcome is spot on! I just love the variety and colours. They have certainly done you proud. Most of mine are going over now, but Queen of the Night is coming into her own.xxx
I don’t have ‘Queen of Night’ but it seems to be a big favorite.
They look fabulous. Totally worth all that hard work in the fall 🙂
I agree!
Lovely! I see there was an orange them this year – very cheerful and great when the sun shines on them. Love that little species tulip Little Princess too. Most of my tulips have faded or dropped their petals now, with just a few later ones remaining scattered around.
Yes, definitely an orange theme – so cheerful but a richer color than yellow.
What a lovely array of tulips…I especially love ‘Princess Irene’.
Yes, she’s a real beauty.
Me too!
Hello Jason, my favourite is definitely, “Couleur Cardinal”, the rich deep red is really stunning. I love how the tulip pots are arranged beside the entrance to the house, it makes it look so welcoming and friendly.
Thank you. I like how you can move around the pots with tulips as they bloom and fade.