Tulips in My Garden

May 1, 2025

It's hard to miss the large, showy, brightly colored tulips blooming at my farm.

Tulips, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are perennial plants that open up each spring. They're grown for their graceful leaves and cheery blooms. Some are traditional and cup-shaped, some have fringed petals, others have pointed ones, and some are full of fanciful ruffles. Some varieties even carry a soft, subtle scent.

Here are photos of the tulips growing in my vegetable garden this week, enjoy.

: All tulips are planted as bulbs in the fall and bloom in the spring. I planted hundreds of tulips in the vegetable garden and they’re putting on such a gorgeous show. Many of these tulips are from The Flower Hat in Bozeman, Montana.

: Although Holland is the largest producer of tulip bulbs and flowers, the flower actually originated in Central Asia and Turkey.

: Tulips hold many different meanings around the world. In Western societies, they represent love. In Persian and Turkish traditions, tulips signify spring and renewal. Dutch cultures associate tulips with wealth and prosperity.

: Tulipa is the Latin word for tulip and is believed to be derived from Tulipan, meaning “turban” in Turkish – inspired by the shape of the tulip flower.

: They come in a wide variety of colors. And while red varieties remain the most popular, they range from white and pale yellow to deep mahogany and violet.

: This variety is ‘Sanne’ – a dainty two-tone of rose on the outside of the petals and soft pink on the inside.

: The inside is also very geometric.

: The broad, strappy leaves of tulips have a waxy coating that gives them a blue-green color. There are usually two to six leaves per plant.

: From above, one can see the large cupped, peony-shaped blooms and pointed petals of this flower.

: This tulip is a double fringed variety. It has rosy colored petals accented with light pink ruffles and serrated edges. The flowers can grow to five-inches across and up to 14-inches tall.

: Most tulips have one flower per stem, but there are some multi-flowered varieties.

: Here’s one in deep burgundy. Like many spring bulbs, tulips contain alkaloid compounds that are moderately toxic to pets as well as humans. The bulbs contain the highest concentration of toxins, but trace amounts are also found in the tulip flowers and leaves.

: There are currently more than 3000 registered tulip varieties, which are divided into at least 15-groups, mostly based on the flower type, size, and blooming period.

: Tulips can range from six-inches to 32-inches in varying shapes and forms. Taller ones should be shielded from any winds, so they don’t topple over.

: And do you know… tulips continue to grow after they are cut? Tulips grow about an extra inch after cutting and bend toward the light. Kept well-watered and away from heat, tulips can last about a week.

: Tulips require full sun for the best display, which means at least six-hours of bright, direct sunlight per day.

: And yes, Tulip Mania was real! It was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when prices for some tulip bulbs reached extraordinarily high levels. It started around 1634 and then dramatically collapsed in February 1637.