BloomsEye723 / 1,785checked
Tulip (Tulipa) - pink flowers, illustrated plant cardIllustration
Tulip cut-out illustration
Illustration

Tulip

Tulipa

Tulip blooms from April through May.

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Bloom calendar
Bloom time
Apr–May
not yet checked
Hardiness
Zones 3–8
checked
Sun
Full sun
checked
Water
Moderate water
not yet checked
Mature size
16 in × 6 in
checked
Type
Bulb
house classification

Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.

Growing Tulip

Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).

Verification
Core facts 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.

See the 11 sources it was checked against

When to plant Tulip

Tulip 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 to May.

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 Tulip get?

Illustration of Tulip drawn to scale beside an adult16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult6 inwide
About 16 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity: knee-high beside an adult.

See Tulip 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

Tulip's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on July 30, 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.

How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.

Comes in 17 varieties across 6 colors

Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.

Compare every variety in the Tulips group

Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.

VarietyColorBloomsHardinessSunSize (H × W)
AngeliquePinkApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun16 in × 6 in
ApeldoornRedApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun24 in × 6 in
Apricot BeautyOrangeMar–AprZones 3–8Full sun16 in × 6 in
BallerinaOrangeApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun22 in × 6 in
Black ParrotPurpleApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun20 in × 6 in
Couleur CardinalRedAprZones 3–8Full sun14 in × 6 in
Flaming ParrotYellowApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun22 in × 6 in
Golden ApeldoornYellowApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun24 in × 6 in
Monte CarloYellowMar–AprZones 3–8Full sun14 in × 6 in
NegritaPurpleApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun18 in × 6 in
Orange EmperorOrangeMar–AprZones 3–8Full sun16 in × 6 in
Pink ImpressionPinkApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun24 in × 6 in
Princess IreneOrangeAprZones 3–8Full sun14 in × 6 in
PurissimaWhiteMar–AprZones 3–8Full sun16 in × 6 in
Queen of NightPurpleApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun24 in × 6 in
Spring GreenWhiteApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun20 in × 6 in
Tulipthis pagePinkApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun16 in × 6 in
White TriumphatorWhiteApr–MayZones 3–8Full sun24 in × 6 in

Good to know about Tulip

Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.

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

Worth knowing

Tulips are toxic, yet squirrels, voles and deer eat the bulbs and flowers anyway. Unlike daffodils, being poisonous does not keep animals off, so protect new plantings. per Iowa State

Perennial or annual?

Sources split: the bulb is botanically perennial, but most large hybrids fade after the first or second year. Choose Darwin hybrids or species tulips, or replant each fall. per Iowa State

Tulip fire disease

The signature disease, a fungus, twists new shoots and scorches the leaves. Destroy infected plants, and do not replant tulips in the same soil for about three years. per RHS

They need a cold winter

Without sustained winter cold the bulbs will not flower properly. In mild-winter regions (about zone 8 and warmer), chill them in a refrigerator for several weeks before planting. per Clemson

Planting depth and timing

Plant in fall, pointed end up, about 4 to 6 in deep (roughly three times the bulb's height), before the ground freezes. per Missouri Botanical

Sharp drainage matters most

Wet ground rots the bulb, and the same damp worsens tulip fire. One choice, sharply well-drained soil, defuses both problems at once. per NC State

What pairs well with Tulip

Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.

  • Feather Reed Grass

    Feather Reed Grass

    Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.

  • Purple Coneflower

    Purple Coneflower

    Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.

  • Blue Oat Grass

    Blue Oat Grass

    Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

  • Hollyhock

    Hollyhock

    Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Delphinium

    Delphinium

    Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; taller at 4.5 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Little Bluestem

    Little Bluestem

    Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Lavender

    Lavender

    Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

  • Sunflower

    Sunflower

    Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 6.5 ft, for the layer behind it.

All 8 companion pairings for Tulip →

Try Tulip with its top companions in a garden →

Featured in these guides

How to Have Something Blooming Every Month of the YearEarly-Spring FlowersThe Cut Flower GardenWhat to Plant in SeptemberSpring Bulbs to Plant This FallWhat to Plant in October

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