Tulip Varieties: Mid-Season Flowering Tulips

By Darcy Logan

Early Flowering Tulips - Mid-Season Flowering Tulips - Late Flowering Tulips

Tulipa is a genus that includes over 100 different species of plants with more than 4,000 varieties. Although they are associated with the Dutch, they are not native to Holland. They are originally native to southern Europe and Asia. They were introduced to China and Mongolia by the Turkish Empire and eventually made their way to the Netherlands several hundreds years ago.

Over the years, there have been different ways of classifying tulips. As species were crossbred, divisions had to created or merged. Most recently, the Royal General Bulb Growers Association of the Netherlands adopted a classification system with fifteen different divisions. Tulips were then assigned a division based on several factors including their time of bloom and parentage.

Because of this, the divisions can generally be categorized as early flowering, mid-season flowering, or late flowering. Tulips that usually bloom in April or early May are considered mid-season or mid-spring flowering tulips. Three divisions are usually considered mid-season flowering tulips: Darwin hybrids, triumph, and parrot.

The fifteenth division, species tulips, is the most diverse and has varieties that can be considered early, mid-season, and late flowering tulips. Multiflowering tulips, also called bouquet or bunch flowering tulips, are not a division and will take on the characteristics of the class that they were derived from.

Darwin Hybrid Tulips (Division 4)

Darwin hybrid tulips were created by in 1943 by crossing Fosteriana tulips with Darwin tulips (which are now part of the single late class). They grow about thirty inches high and are some of the tallest long-stemmed tulips available. The flowers are also large, approximately 6 inches in diameter when they open. Immature blossoms usually look like a pyramid. Flowers are available in shades of white, pink, yellow, orange, red, purple, and black. They come in solid, speckled, and striped varieties.

For people who want to grow tulips for cut flowers, these are amongst the best to grow. However, because of their size, they need to be grown in a spot that is sheltered from the wind. They are good for beds, borders, and indoor forcing. Darwin hybrids are also one of the better perennial tulips because they come back looking great for years and will not decline in appearance after the first couple of years like other tulips can. However, it is important that you do not remove cut the leaves after they bloom if you want them to come back. They are hardiest in USDA Zones 3 through 7. Some popular varieties of Darwin hybrid tulips are Ad Rem, Apeldoorn, Apeldoorn Elite, Banja Luka, Big Chief, Burning Heart, Daydream, Golden Apeldoorn, Golden Oxford, Ivory Floradale, Kingsblood, Ollioules, Olympic Fame, Oxford, Parade, and Pink Impression.

Triumph Tulips (Division 3)

Triumph tulips are the result of crossing single early tulips and single late tulips. They are the largest division and come in every imaginable color. Their flowers form the traditional tulip shape on top of sturdy stems that make them durable in stormy weather. They flower in late April about 10 days before Darwin hybrids do and grow about ten to sixteen inches high.

Triumph tulips are considered the absolute best type of tulip for indoor forcing and make excellent cut flowers because they have a long vase life. They are hardiest in USDA Zones 3 through 7. Some popular varieties of triumph tulips are Apricot Beauty, Arabian Mystery, Barcelona, Bastogne, Beauty Queen, Calgary, Dreaming Maid, Don Quichotte, Francoise, Gavota, Happy Generation, Helmar, Jan Reus, lle de France, Negrita, New Design, Passionale, Pays Bas, Peer Gynt, Prinses Irene (Princess Irene), Shirley, Strong Gold, Wendy Love, White Dream, and Zurel.

Parrot (Division 10)

Parrot tulips have large flowers with curly, fringed edges and twisted petals that almost resemble feathers. However, they get their name from their bud, which tends to resemble a parrot's beak. As the flowers are exposed to the sun, they open wide until they almost flatten out. Blooms are available in shades of white, pink, peach, yellow, orange, red, and purple. Many are bi-colored and almost all are very vibrant.

Most of these tulips were developed from mutations of late flowering and triumph tulips, so their bloom time varies between mid to late season. They can grow between 12 to 28 inches high and are hardiest in USDA Zones 4 through 7. They are very sensitive to bad weather and do not stand up well to wind and rain. A few tulips of this variety are scented. Some popular varieties of parrot tulips are the Apricot Parrot, Black Parrot, Blue Parrot, Estella Rynveldt, Fantasy, Flaming Parrot, Green Wave, Orange Favorite, Rococo, Red Champion, Texas Gold, Yellow Sunshine, and White Parrot.

Species tulips (Division 15)

The species division is a catch-all class for any type of tulip that does not fit within the other divisions. It includes most wild species plus varieties and hybrids that were cultivated from these species. They are sometimes called "miniature tulips" because of their small size. Usually cultivated species are indicated by a name after the species name. For example, Tulipa batalinii 'Bright Gem' is a variant of Tulipa batalinii.

Because species tulips are wildflowers or variants of them, they are usually very hardy, require less work, and are less vulnerable to stormy spring weather. They are also easier to perennialize and prefer to be left in the ground to multiply naturally. They are suitable for rock gardens and small group plantings. Their flowers usually remain closed through the morning or on cloudy days, showing only the outside color of the petals. Spent flowers should be removed so that the energy goes into revitalizing bulbs instead of seeds. The leaves should not be cut back until they begin to yellow. Species tulips are one of the longest-living tulips and will bloom well for several years.

Although there are about 150 different species of wild tulips, only a few are used in gardens. Here are a few species tulips that are known to bloom in the mid-spring:

• Tulipa batalinii only grows about two to five inches tall. It comes in shades of red, yellow, or orange and has wide, pointed petals. Tulipa batalinii usually blooms in late April or early May and is hardiest in USDA Zones 3 through 8. There are several cultivated varieties including Apricot Jewel, Bronze Charm, Bright Gem, and Red Gem.
  
  
• Tulipa clusiana, or Lady Tulip, produces bi-colored flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, and white. It grows about eight to fourteen inches tall and is hardiest in USDA Zones 6 through 8. There are several cultivated varieties including Cynthia, Peppermint, and Lady Jane.
  
  
• Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha is also known simply as Tulipa chrysantha. It also produces bi-colored flowers in shades of red and yellow that form a star when completely open. It grows about eight to fourteen inches high and is hardiest in USDA Zones 3 through 8. Its most popular cultivated variety is the Tubergen's Gem.
  
  
• Tulipa saxatillis produces flowers that are lavender-pink with a yellow base. It grows about six to eight inches tall and is hardiest in USDA Zones 5 through 10.
  
  
• Tulipa sylvestris grows about six to ten inches tall with about three to seven fragrant yellow flowers per stem. It is also known as the Forest tulip and the Wild tulip. It is hardiest in USDA Zones 4 through 8.
  
  
• Tulipa tarda grows about four to eight inches tall. It produces white flowers with a bright yellow base and brownish-purple outside in late April or early May. Each stem has approximately four to six flowers per stem. It is hardiest in USDA Zones 3 through 9.

Early Flowering Tulips - Mid-Season Flowering Tulips - Late Flowering Tulips

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