Tulip Tips from Chicago Gardeners

Most showy tulip hybrids rebloom for two years before their blooms start to decline. The Christensens don’t mind—they just plant anew. In a small garden, Marcia prefers understated botanical (or species) tulips, such as pinkish-mauve ‘Lilac Wonder’. They return each year and multiply. She favors hardy daffodils for the same reason. To create contrast, combine them with crocus and grape hyacinths, Marcia says. Want a big hybrid tulip with staying power? Choose a member of the Darwin group, says Boyce Tankersley, a bulb specialist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “They seem to thrive in our climate and survive the moles and voles,” he says. “I have some that are nearly 11 years old.”