Introducing...
Border tulips
Botanical name: Tulipa
Common name: Tulip
Border tulips provide a myriad of colour and flower shapes which light up the spring garden. Use them to fill borders and containers, or plant en masse in bedding schemes alongside forget-me-nots (Myosotis), or wallflowers (Erysimum).
Looks
Upright stems, clasped by strap-like leaves, are topped with large bowl-shaped flowers in white, pink, orange, red, yellow or purple-blue. Different flower shapes add to this diversity, with double, fringed, lily, parrot and viridiflora forms.
Likes
Border tulips grow best on well-drained soils in a bright sunny position. They also grow well in containers of free-draining compost.
Dislikes
Tulips will not grow well on very dry soils, or those that are excessively wet. They also dislike shaded sites.
Did you know?
Border tulips normally only flower well in their first year. For this reason they are often treated like bedding and removed after flowering. Some varieties will persist for longer if lifted and dried.
Growing guide
How to grow border tulips
All the information you’ll need to grow & care for border tulips in your garden.
Border tulips we recommend
Tulipa 'White Triumphator' (6)
tulip 'White Triumphator'
- 0.5–1 metres
- 0–0.1 metre
Tulipa 'Carnaval de Nice' (11/v)
tulip 'Carnaval de Nice'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0–0.1 metre
Tulipa 'White Triumphator' (6)
tulip 'White Triumphator'
- 0.5–1 metres
- 0–0.1 metre
Tulipa 'Carnaval de Nice' (11/v)
tulip 'Carnaval de Nice'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0–0.1 metre
Useful advice
Bulbs: planting
Bulbs: propagation
Stem and bulb nematode
Tulip fire
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.