Fall Bulb Gardens: St. Louis Front Yard Tulip Planting

Karen did a great job mixing early-blooming Red Emperors (the wide open blooms) and other tulips for a bed under some small trees. And her group of the ones she calls the “peachy ones” beside the home’s front steps is a wonderful planting of a very popular late tulip:Apricot Beauty. It shows clearly how a few tulips alone, planted close together, can light up an area all by themselves in spring.

Dear American Meadows:

I LOVE MY TULIPS! They make me happy every time I walk in my kitchen. I strategically planted them so they are viewed outside my window!

I absolutely love them and they make an awesome display! (Everyone thinks so.) I put all the red, pink and purple ones together mixed randomly. Then I put the light pink ones where my rose bushes are--so I have to go to the yard to see those. I wish I had grouped those a little thicker, but that's OK. They still look awesome.

Then… I have all the peachy ones in the front yard and they are coming up--no blooms yet, (photo shows later bloom) but they are getting ready. They look so good! I am so excited.

I wish I could have a whole field of tulips around my house they're so cool.Karen Tabaka
St. Louis Thanks, Karen, for sharing your great photos! They're great examples of several things many gardeners never learn about tulips.

1. Plant them close together. In both photos, you can clearly see how good they look as a mass. If they were spaced out, the whole display would be weak.

2. Mix them up. The top photo shows several tulip varieties together with lovely color combinations. And they're not just different colors. The large red ones are Red Emperors, which bloom early. In the photo, you can see that they are "older" already than the purple and pink companions. Mixing early, mid, and late-season bloom tulips gives you weeks of great bloom. 

pink tulips next to a fencepink tulips next to a fence
tulip garden in front of a housetulip garden in front of a house

3. They even work well all alone. Both these tulip beds are holding their own for a great spring display--no other plants around them, no shrubs, nothing--just the tulips. If you plant yours close together, you'll have this advantage. The best example is the lower photo. Imagine how blank Karen's entrance would look without them! And there they are...those are called Apricot Beauty, by the way... greeting everyone with wonderful spring bloom. In this case, Karen even matched the tulip color to the handsome stonework around her front door! Tulips can work magic like this at your house, too.

  1. Palmyra Double Early Tulip

    With breathtaking jewel-toned blossoms and sweetly fragrant flowers in shades of deep red to dark burgundy, Palmyra Double Early Tulips are early spring stunners. This double-petaled...

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    Palmyra Double Early Tulip Palmyra Double Early Tulip Tulipa 'Palmyra'
    As low as $15.99 Sale $11.99
    Per Bag of 8
    With breathtaking jewel-toned blossoms and sweetly fragrant flowers in shades of deep red to dark burgundy, Palmyra Double Early Tulips are early spring stunners. This double-petaled beauty has layers of curved petals for a Peony-like appearance, and the rich color palette adds drama and contrast to any planting. These tulips are especially lovely planted in groups. Fantastic as cut flowers. (Tulipa)
  2. Pallada Triumph Tulip

    With elegant simplicity, Pallada Triumph Tulip arrives in early spring, featuring rose-red flowers and a satin sheen. On tall sturdy stems, they are an excellent choice for a border ...

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    Pallada Triumph Tulip Pallada Triumph Tulip Tulipa 'Pallada'
    As low as $19.99 Sale $14.99
    Per Bag of 25
    With elegant simplicity, Pallada Triumph Tulip arrives in early spring, featuring rose-red flowers and a satin sheen. On tall sturdy stems, they are an excellent choice for a border or garden where their intense color can catch the light. Plant en masse for the full effect of these romantic blooms. These are easy-to-grow in a sunny spot, and Triumph Tulips are favorites for cut flowers. (Tulipa)
  3. Margarita Double Early Tulip

    Margarita Double Early Tulip kicks off the spring Tulip season with fragrant double magenta-pink blossoms. Looking as much like a Peony as a simple tulip, they are an easy-to-grow so...

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    Margarita Double Early Tulip Margarita Double Early Tulip Tulipa 'Margarita'
    As low as $11.99 Sale $8.99
    Per Bag of 6
    Margarita Double Early Tulip kicks off the spring Tulip season with fragrant double magenta-pink blossoms. Looking as much like a Peony as a simple tulip, they are an easy-to-grow solution for early spring impact. The dramatic flowers are stunning in the garden and are superb cut flowers. Margarita’s petals vary from dark rose to light pink as it opens, giving the blossoms visual depth and revealing a yellow eye at the center. (Tulipa)
  4. Lambada Fringed Tulip

    Named for a faced-paced Brazilian dance, ‘Lambada’ Fringed Tulips will light up your late-spring-to-early summer garden with vivid rose and peachy-orange hues. Like a fie...

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    Lambada Fringed Tulip Lambada Fringed Tulip Tulipa 'Lambada'
    As low as $13.32 Sale $9.99
    Per Bag of 8
    Named for a faced-paced Brazilian dance, ‘Lambada’ Fringed Tulips will light up your late-spring-to-early summer garden with vivid rose and peachy-orange hues. Like a fiery sparkler, the finely fringed petals draw the eye, and and the long sturdy stems on these tall tulips make them ideal cut flowers. These showstoppers are easy to grow, and will add a sizzle of excitement to neighboring spring blooms. (Tulipa)
  5. Jaap Groot Darwin Tulip

    Jaap Groot Darwin Tulip features soft painterly blooms, its ivory petals washed with buttery golden-yellow streaks. The sunny color brightens the garden with a cheerful essence and e...

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    Jaap Groot Darwin Tulip Blue Parrot Tulip Tulipa Blue Parrot
    As low as $19.99 Sale $14.99
    Per Bag of 25
    Jaap Groot Darwin Tulip features soft painterly blooms, its ivory petals washed with buttery golden-yellow streaks. The sunny color brightens the garden with a cheerful essence and easy-to-grow style. The foliage is edged in ivory giving them an extra special appeal. Darwin Tulip blooms are long lasting, and the tall, graceful plants will return for several years to come. (Tulipa)
  6. Flaming Flag Triumph Tulip

    Pure white petals blushed with magenta-purple streaks give Flaming Flag Triumph Tulip a memorable place in the mid-spring garden. The exquisite flowers are large and held on sturdy s...

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    Flaming Flag Triumph Tulip Flaming Flag Triumph Tulip Tulipa 'Flaming Flag'
    As low as $19.99 Sale $14.99
    Per Bag of 25
    Pure white petals blushed with magenta-purple streaks give Flaming Flag Triumph Tulip a memorable place in the mid-spring garden. The exquisite flowers are large and held on sturdy stems, making them excellent in the garden, in cut flower arrangements, and in containers where you can bring the blooms up close. They are lovely companions to Daffodils, Grape Hyacinths, and other mid-spring bloomers. (Tulipa)
  7. Blue Parrot Tulip

    Blue Parrot Tulips brighten the late spring garden with purple shades that hint of blue. As the buds open, the beautifully fluted and fringed petals unfurl to create large blossoms o...

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    Blue Parrot Tulip Blue Parrot Tulip Tulipa 'Blue Parrot'
    As low as $13.32 Sale $9.99
    Per Bag of 8
    Blue Parrot Tulips brighten the late spring garden with purple shades that hint of blue. As the buds open, the beautifully fluted and fringed petals unfurl to create large blossoms of undulating color and form. Easy-to-grow, this striking tall tulip is a stunner in the garden and makes beautiful bouquets. Plant in groups for best effect, and pair with spring perennials, as ‘Blue Parrot’ harmonizes nicely with other late spring flowers. (Tulipa)
  8. Annika Lady Tulip, Tulipa clusiana 'Annika'

    Annika is a wildflower tulip cultivar with a romantic coloration that shifts from soft buff pink to a deeper rose pink as the flower age. Deep purple centers are like a faded ink blo...

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    Annika Tulip Annika Lady Tulip Tulipa clusiana 'Annika'
    As low as $18.66 Sale $13.99
    Per Bag of 15
    Annika is a wildflower tulip cultivar with a romantic coloration that shifts from soft buff pink to a deeper rose pink as the flower age. Deep purple centers are like a faded ink blot. Each bulb will send up 2-3 flowers on dainty stems, kicking off Tulip season with a burst of blooms in early to mid spring. A bee-friendly bulb with a strong tendency to spread and naturalize in grassy areas or rock gardens. (Tulipa clusiana)

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