Northwest Blooms · Bulbs
Tulipa 'Columbus'
Columbus Double Tulip
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Height
- 12 to 16 in
- Width
- 4 to 6 in
- Flower color
- Reddish-pink to deep rose with creamy yellow highlights
- Foliage color
- Gray-green to blue-green, broad strap-shaped leaves
- Bloom time
- Early to mid spring
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low, remove spent flowers to prevent seed formation, allow foliage to yellow naturally before removal
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Occasional visits from bees
About this plant
Reddish-pink flowers with a creamy white to yellow edge open into full, double blooms on Tulipa 'Columbus'. Buds start deeper rose, then unfurl to a broad, peony-like cup with neatly ruffled petal layers. Gray-green leaves form a tidy fan at the base, and the heavy blossoms make excellent cut flowers. Sold in the Double group, it blooms in early to mid spring and often keeps its crisp bicolor pattern as the flower expands.
'Columbus' is a cultivated garden tulip distributed through Dutch bulb growers and widely offered in the trade. In beds, containers, and spring arrangements, the sturdy stems keep the flower heads upright and the double petals give a plush, full look for days.
Works well in
Borders · Sun Gardens · Woodland Gardens · Containers · Cut Flower Gardens
Companion plants
Ornamental grasses · Garden phlox · Coneflowers · Salvias · Shasta daisies · Asters
Design tip
The early flowers arrive when the garden is still waking up, so give it a spot you pass often in spring. Drift them in uneven groups for a natural look, and interplant with perennials that fill the gap after the leaves die back.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Roozengaarde.
