Illustration
Couleur Cardinal
Tulipa 'Couleur Cardinal'
Couleur Cardinal blooms from April through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Couleur Cardinal
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 14 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Couleur Cardinal
Couleur Cardinal is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8. It pays you back the following April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Couleur Cardinal get?
14 intall5 ft 7 inan adult6 inwideSee Couleur Cardinal in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Couleur Cardinal's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- farmergracy.co.ukFarmer Gracyheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- monticelloshop.orgMonticello Shop (Thomas Jefferson Foundation)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
- sarahraven.comSarah Ravenheight, sun and trait tags
- vannoortbulb.comVan Noort Bulb Co.height, sun and trait tags
- blomsbulbs.comBlom's Bulbsheight and sun
- jparkers.co.ukJ Parker's Dutch Bulbsheight and spread
- lincsplants.comLincs Plantsheight and spread
- Missouri Botanical GardenTulipa group pagehardiness zones and sun
- NC State ExtensionTulipa, genus pagehardiness zones and sun
- oldhousegardens.comOld House Gardensheight and hardiness zones
- jacquesamandintl.comJacques Amand Internationalheight
- rosecottageplants.co.ukRose Cottage Plantsheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Couleur Cardinal
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Mildly toxic: eaten, tulips sicken dogs, cats and horses, and handling the bulbs can raise a rash called 'tulip fingers'. The bulb is the worst part. per ASPCA
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.