One of my favorite stages of creating a flower garden has always been planning. This is especially true in the creation of an early spring garden. With such a wide range of fall planted flower bulbs available, the options are virtually limitless. Among the most common spring blooming flowers are tulips. Learning more about the different types of tulips offered to growers can help flower lovers to craft a space that is uniquely their own.  

Tulips in the Garden

Tulips are an essential part of my cut flower garden. Though most types of tulips will not rebloom here in my growing zone, I continue to plant and treat the bulbs as an annual. In my yard, tulips will begin and continue to flower throughout the entire month of April. This makes many different shades of pink, lavender, and pastel a very popular choice. However, it wasn’t until I began to explore and offer a broader range of flower colors that I truly came to better appreciate the diversity of this plant. 

I first began growing black tulips when a few bulbs were in a mix that I had purchased on clearance. Like most “black” flowers, it is important to note the blooms’ true color actually varies quite a bit. Most black blooms are those which simply possess very deep shades of purple. Their ability to vary in appearance, depending upon the light, is quite incredible. 

After my first growing season, I quickly came to celebrate the unique characteristics of these beautiful blooms. Below, I have listed my three favorite varieties of black tulips for the spring garden. 

Black Tulip Varieties

• Black Hero – Black Hero is a double tulip. This means it produces blooms that are full and filled with petals. In addition to their large shape, Black Hero tulips are held on tall strong stems, which are ideal for use in vases and cut flower arrangements. 

• Black Parrot –  Parrot types of tulip produce flowers with unique, “feathered” petals. Toothed petal edges offer interesting flair and a sense of texture in bouquets. Black Parrot tulips open in very dark shades of a purple-burgundy color.

• Queen of the Night –  Queen of the Night is the darkest tulip grown in my garden. Though each bulb produces only a single bloom, their immense color more than makes up for their size in arrangements. This tulip looks particularly beautiful when planted near white varieties of tulip, or in close proximity to daffodil beds.