Impress your friends at the next gathering with ten tulip facts that are sure to impress. Will your friends and family be expecting this information from you? Probably not. Will it make their day better? Absolutely! Learning these fun tulip facts will even make your spring display of tulips better planned out and more vibrant!
Ten Tulip Facts
-
Tulips were first discovered in mountainous areas in Turkey. Therefore, they grow best in dry summers and cool winters.
-
Tulip flowers come in nearly every color of the rainbow with the exception of blue. Red, Pink, Purple, White, and Yellow are the most common tulip colors. Orange, Green, and Multi-Color Blooms are also seen, but somewhat less common.
-
One tulip bulb will produce one stem with one tulip flower. There is an exception to this as bunch-flowering tulips produce multiple flowers per stem.
-
Since the early 1600’s the Netherlands has been the #1 grower and exporter of tulip bulbs. They remain the largest grower and exporter of tulip bulbs as well as tulip flowers for the cut flower industry.
-
Tulip flower sizes range from 2” in diameter when open all the way up to 10” in diameter when open. The smallest tulip flowers are found on species tulips like Lilac Wonder, Little Beauty, Little Princess, Tarda, and other botanical tulips. The largest blooms are found on Parrot Tulips, Darwin Hybrid Tulips, and Fosteriana Tulips. When fully open the tulip blooms can measure at least 10” across.
-
Tulip flowers open during the day and close as the evening approaches. Often in the morning hours before the full sun hits them the flowers will be closed and in a tight bud-like form.
-
Tulips bloom at various times throughout the spring. They are grouped into early-blooming, mid-blooming, and late-blooming. Early blooming means they are first to bloom when the tulip season begins in your area. Late blooming means they are the last to bloom when the tulip blooming season ends in your area. Therefore, this does not mean they will bloom at what a calendar would consider the beginning of spring or the end of spring.
-
In order for tulip bulbs to produce a bloom they require 12-16 weeks of temperatures in the fall-winter months in the 50’s or lower during the day. Therefore, the best hardiness zones to grow tulips in are zones 3-7.
-
Violet-colored tulips are the best for attracting early spring pollinators like bumblebees.
-
Tulips can be fragrant but most aren’t considered to have a noticeable scent. Finola Double Tulip, Mondial Double Tulip, Daydream Darwin Hyrbird Tulip, Crème Upstar Double Tulip, and Carnaval de Nice Double Tulip are all noted to have a noticeable fragrance.
Tulip Infomation for Fun and Better Results
Wowing your friends and family with these facts isn’t the only reason to learn more about tulips. Knowing more about the flowers you are growing in your garden will lead to a better-planned spring display. It also will help to ensure success with tulips that are planted this fall and will grow and bloom with vigor in spring.
For even more details and information on growing tulips check out The Beginners Guide to Gardening with Tulips.
