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Key characteristics

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

Bulbs

Tulipa 'Columbus'

Columbus Double Tulip

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.

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Early to mid spring

Find this plant

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.