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Key characteristics

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

Bulbs

Tulipa montana

Mountain Tulip

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.

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Early to mid spring

Find this plant

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.