7 low-maintenance and long-lasting species tulips to brighten your garden

TULIPS ARE A sensation in the spring garden. From graceful, reflexed forms to showy parrot types with ruffled petals, the blooms flaunt a rainbow of colors — except true blue. Just don’t get too attached to these beauties; they are notoriously short-lived.

Species tulips, sometimes called wild or botanical tulips, are the unlikely ancestors of modern showboat blooms. While their charms are subtle, what they lack in obvious flamboyance they make up for in garden longevity, returning year after year and even increasing in numbers over time. Best of all, it doesn’t take much to keep these diminutive garden jewels happy.

Native to dry regions of southwestern Europe and Central Asia, species tulips are hardy bulbs that insist on well-drained soil in full to partial sun. They are a good fit for our dry summers and do best with little to no summer irrigation. Dry gravel, rock gardens, even a rocky parking strip approximate the bulbs’ native growing conditions. Plant generously for a good show, let foliage ripen to recharge the bulbs for next year’s blooms and leave spent flowers in place to encourage self-seeding.

Container plantings (breathable terra-cotta is ideal) allow gardeners to display the quiet elegance of species tulips during bloom season and then put them aside during summer dormancy. Pro tip: Label pots filled with dormant bulbs to avoid marital strife; trust me on this.

● With narrow golden and scarlet petallike structures (three are petals; three are sepals), it’s easy to see why Tulipa acuminata is commonly referred to as the fire flame tulip: Red and white cultivars look like peppermint sticks. Each bulb produces a single 3- to 5-inch-long flower that emerges upright and pointed before relaxing into wavy open forms as they mature. (Grows 12 to 18 inches tall; blooms in April.)

● Reserve your best sun and a hot spot in the garden for Tulipa saxatilis, and you’ll be rewarded with expanding colonies of rosy-pink blooms, about the size of a quarter, marked with yolk-yellow centers. Look for the cultivar ‘Lilac Wonder’, sometimes sold as T. bakeri, for lilac flowers and slightly longer stems. Each bulb produces a single flower with an occasional double bloom. (Grows 6 inches tall; blooms in April.)

● Tulipa humilis, a vigorous and fragrant wildflower tulip, blooms in various shades from deep pink and striking magenta blossoms with golden centers to the bright white blooms marked with a striking steel-blue heart of T. humilis ‘Alba Coerulea Oculata’. Each bulb produces one or more flowering stems above grasslike foliage. (Grows 6 inches tall; blooms in April.)

● Voluptuous urn-shaped blooms of Tulipa batalinii appear in a range of warm colors from soft butterscotch yellow to warm peach and deeper shades of copper. Basal clumps of undulating narrow leaves show off single, 2-inch blooms. (Grows 6 to 12 inches tall depending on cultivar; blooms in April.)

● Relatively tiny, and far from showy, Tulipa polychroma blooms in early spring and as early as late winter in my garden. They’re seemingly white at a distance, but look closely, and you’ll find each pearly bloom has watercolor shades of blue, grass green and grayed mauve with a golden center. I’m biased, but I think this is a very special tulip. (Each bulb produces two to five modest flowers on short 4- to 6-inch stems.)

● Another early bloomer, Tulipa turkestanica has blossoms that are white with a bright yellow center brushed with a soft gray-violet on the reverse. Each stem produces clusters of small flowers for an abundant look. (Grows 8 to 10 inches tall; blooms March to April.)

● Tulipa sprengeri is a late bloomer. One of the last tulips to flower in late spring or early summer, it has straw-colored buds that open to reveal scarlet 2-inch flowers. Easy to grow, this species tulip is known for settling in and seeding about the garden. (Grows 12 to 15 inches tall; blooms in June.)