Northwest Blooms · Bulbs
Tulipa montana
Mountain Tulip
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Height
- 6 to 12 in
- Width
- 4 to 6 in
- Flower color
- Deep red in solitary, cup-shaped blooms often with a darker central blotch
- Foliage color
- Blue-green to green, glaucous narrow leaves forming a basal clump
- Bloom time
- Early to mid spring
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low, allow flowers to die back naturally
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Occasional visits from bees
About this plant
Tulipa montana offers clear scarlet-red flowers above glaucous, blue-green foliage, with a darker central blotch that appears sharply defined in spring light. Buds open into a neat cup and later relax wider in sun, creating a simple, vivid flower silhouette that suits naturalistic planting.
A species tulip, it carries cup-shaped blooms in early to mid-spring. Native to mountain and steppe regions from southern Turkmenistan into Iran, it is well suited to rock gardens, gravel borders, and sunny troughs, and it can be planted in small drifts through beds for a naturalized look. It also makes a clean, bright cut flower for small spring arrangements.
Works well in
Borders · Sun Gardens · Woodland Gardens · Rock Gardens · Containers
Companion plants
Creeping phlox · Yarrow · Ornamental grasses · Garden phlox · Coneflowers · Salvias
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 the Bellevue Botanical Garden.
