Add Peony Tulips to Your Garden for a Colorful Cutting Flower
Imagine a flower with all the elegance of a classic tulip but enhanced with the fullness of peonies, and you've got peony tulips. Here’s how to grow them.
Peonies are a favorite in many gardens, and for a good reason: Their blooms contain rows and rows of colorful petals, and they're ideal cut flowers for arrangements and wedding bouquets, which is why peony tulips make a fantastic addition to your garden. When you plant peony tulips, they never fail to look stunning when their huge flowers appear in spring. But unlike peonies, which are perennials, tulip bulbs usually have to be replanted each fall, so you can change the color scheme of your spring garden and experiment with all available varieties.
Tulip peonies bring the best of peonies and tulips together into one plant. They look incredibly stunning in large groups, but even just a few in a container will make an eye-catching display, thanks to those full, colorful blooms. When picking out bulbs to plant in the fall, be sure to explore the dozens of varieties of these beautiful tulips and get growing! You'll thank us next spring.
Related: 4 Expert Tips for When and How to Cut Tulips in Your Garden
What Are Peony Tulips?
Peony tulips (Tulipa x hybrida) are a type of double-flowered tulip, which means they have a lot more petals than regular tulips, so they're extra showy. They come in shades of red, pink, purple, yellow, orange, and white, and there are even ones that feature a mix of two or more colors, such as the striking 'IceCream' with white petals surrounded by pink and green petals. Some popular varieties include soft pink 'Angelique' and purple 'Blue Spectacle' ($5, Holland Bulb Farms). You can also find varieties with fringed edges, such as 'Cool Crystal' ($12, Tulip World).
Buy It: Peony-Flowering Tulip Collection ($30, Breck's)
Growing 14-22 inches tall, depending on variety, each flower can reach up to 4 inches across and may last up to two weeks in the garden or slightly less in a vase. Most are fragrant, too. But whichever varieties you choose, peony tulips always put on an impressive show.
How to Grow Peony Tulips
To grow peony tulips in your garden, plant the bulbs in Zones 3-7 in the fall. Choose a spot with well-drained soil with at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. Bury the bulbs two or three times as deep as the bulb is high. Add a layer of mulch on top of the soil to protect them from temperature extremes. You may also want to add some wire mesh under the mulch to protect your newly planted tulips from squirrels and other garden critters that like to eat the bulbs.
In the spring, as temperatures warm up, you'll start to see the first green shoots poking up. As the leaves and flowers develop, you may have a larger animal to keep at bay: deer see tulips as a tasty treat. You can make your tulips less appealing to critters by using a repellent.
If you want blooms sooner or don't have a spot to plant them outside, try growing peony tulips indoors. By forcing the bulbs early, you can get full, colorful blooms as early as February or March. The flowers last several weeks indoors and can last even longer if kept in a cool spot.
Related: 7 Facts Every Tulip Lover Should Know
More About Tulips for Your Garden
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