Tarda Species Tulips

T. tarda, first cultivated commercially in 1590, looks just as Mother Nature introduced her. A top all-around performer, this diminutive species tulip has bunches of elegant star-shaped flowers with chrome-yellow petals edged in bright white. It begs to be planted in large groups, but even five to ten bulbs put on quite a springtime show. Plant T. tarda in those tight spots, where little else will grow, as a perennial springtime groundcover along narrow edges, among rocks and in combination with other perennials with a low to medium height profile. A great perennializer in USDA zones 4-8, some say it is also one of the tulips that can be grown in warmer climates, zones 9-10.