A number of Species Tulips can play an important role in the build up to the Great Tulip Crescendo of late April and May.
I mentioned Tulipa turkestanica about 2 weeks ago when it first started to bloom. Now they are in full stride.
It’s worth noting that T. turkestanica is not only long-lived for a Tulip, but that it will also naturalize. It does so in our garden, anyhow.
The foliage is interesting – long and wavy, staying close to the ground, and a sort of matte blue-gray.
T. dasystemon is another naturalizer. It opens its first cheerful, white-tipped flowers just as T. turkestanica is at its peak (which is to say right now). T. dasystemon‘s baby bulbs stay together in tightly packed clumps. The foliage is upright, narrow, and shiny.
Later this spring I should really lift and divide both these species.
Tulipa praestans ‘Fusilier’ does not naturalize, but it is reasonably perennial.
But that scarlet red color is irresistible. T. praestans peaks at about the same time as T. turkestanica.
The earlier Species Tulips make useful, somewhat carefree heralds for the grand hybrid Tulips yet to come.
gardeninacity 
I just want to wake up one morning and not see frost on everything.
Fingers crossed that we have at least seen the last of the snow.
Ok – so your header is not T. tarda (as I thought), but T. dasystemon. I’d like to try T. turkestanica and love ‘Fusilier’. Wish the species were all still with me – the heat made them go over so fast. Lovely post!
Here’s what John Scheeper’s, my favorite bulb catalog, has to say on T. dasystemon: “Related so closely to multi-flowering T. tarda that they could be one and the same …” So you are in good company.
You know I love the white, but, oh, that red! I think tulips were made to wear red. What a show!
Red or orange, I think.
I like them all but that red is spectacular.
Agreed!
Red tulips are hard to beat in the garden … such a heralding of spring & nice to anticipate a big display tulips to come!
They are hard to beat, unless it is by orange tulips.
They’re all beautiful. I’d have a hard time choosing just one.
For me that would be impossible.
I do love my white flowers, but that red is something to see. Who wouldn’t be happy, just looking at that one? I’ll bet your neighbors are enjoying them, too.
Yes, they are popular with passersby.
For over a decade I had exactly one of the red one. This spring there are two! I should plant more. Also this spring I found that a new fritillaria has appeared, far from the parent. Yippee!
For sure you should plant more of the red T. praestans.
Yes and what happened to my grape hyacinths, I wonder? They were just starting to naturalize but this year they are gone.
I haven’t had much luck with grape hyacinths myself..
Ohhhh, so it might not be just me??? Have you seen the river of them at the Chicago Botanic Garden? It is something to behold if still there. Of course I imagine by the time they reopen this year it will be over.
It’s been a long time since I visited CGB during spring.
Me too actually. I took a wonderful bulb class there several years ago.
Other cultivars of Tulipa praestans are available here in season. It sort of makes me wonder if they perform well here. I know that there are many things that we can get here that don’t do well though.
Yes, I noticed on the John Scheeper’s website they have a new orange T. praestans cultivar called ‘Shogun’.
That’s new? It sounds familiar, as if were already available. It is too orange for my taste. If I could do that much orange, I would toss out a bunch of California poppy seed. Otherwise, the bloom structure is really nice. Supposedly, it is one for here too. I know nothing about it.
Tulips are so well designed to look great in the sun. Yours are shining like beacons. I have some of the yellow white tipped one flowering. The stems were leaning to the sun so much that I experimented by turning them around to see how quickly they could change. They were facing it again the next day.
Guess that is related to the fact that they will open only on warm, sunny days.
Oh, they are so beautiful! The perennial and possibly naturalising tulips are the most intelligent choice. 🙂
Thank you for your comment today! We all love Calvin&Hobbes (Lassi&Leevi in Finnish). I must show some of our albums in a future post.
Stay safe and well!
Lassi and Leevi. I like it.
They are lovely. Tulips rarely come up after the second year in my garden, so long lasting is obviously what I’ll have to look out for.xxx
Some species or varieties are definitely more perennial than others.
Oh, I just love those little species tulips! They are just adorable…
They are wonderful, and fill in so nicely.