GARDENS BY THE BAY
TULIPS & THEIR COMPANIONS
Along with daffodils, tulips are among the most anticipated plants to appear each year, blooming over a long period of time in nearly every colour imaginable. Below you will surely find partners for those in your collection already. Or you might want to use some of the suggestions below to make up a shopping list of new ones to add to your gardens next fall.
Many multi-plant partnerships outlined below, and on other pages on our site, appear in the books written by Patrick Lima and in the wonderful photographs taken by his partner, John Scanlan, of their gardens called Larkwhistle on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Read more of their suggestions in
- THE HARROWSMITH PERENNIAL GARDEN - FLOWERS FOR THREE SEASONS
- THE ART OF PERENNIAL GARDENING - CREATIVE WAYS WITH HARDY FLOWERS
Both books are part of my most treasured garden literature and provide new ideas and inspiration with every reading. Add them to your own collection soon.
Tulips are classified as belonging in one of 15 divisions. For valuable information about tulips as well as other bulbs visit Florissa. Links from their page will lead you to Bulb Basics, Bulb History, Spring-flowering Bulbs, Summer-flowering Bulbs, FAQs and more.
* Watch for the animated hummingbird and butterfly with the plants that attract them. *
The deer icon indicates plants that deer are not usually attracted to.
  
The best time and method to propagate plants can be found on our image-intensive PROPAGATION page.
To help your plants grow their best, check out our FERTILIZATION page.
To create your own plant partnerships based on tried and true color theory, check out our GARDEN COLOR page.
To see if a particular plant is on this page press Ctrl+F, type in the name, then click the Find button.
TULIPA
IN GENERAL
Tulipa: in general
with: later-starting plants requiring infrequent division i.e. Anemone japonica, Aster x frikartii, Heliopsis
with: Dicentra, Euphorbia epithymoides, Iberis sempervirens
with: Hemerocallis (to hide the dying foliage of the bulbs), Hesperis matronalis
interplanted with: Epimedium, Primula
with: Hosta
with: masses of co-blooming Viola cornuta
combined in shade with: Helleborus & Mertensia virginica
TULIPA
BY BLOOM TIME
Tulipa: early
with: Anemone blanda
combined with: Allium (early) & Iris x germanica (Intermediate types)
Tulipa: May blooming
with: Doronicum caucasicum, Leucojum aestivum, Scilla sibirica
Tulipa: spring to early summer blooming
with: Aquilegia x hybrida (large pastel-coloured flowers & long spurs)
with: Astilbe (to hide the dying foliage of the bulbs)
Tulipa: late season
with: Dicentra eximia, Dicentra spectabilis, Endymion hispanicus
combined with: Phlox subulata (white or pink), Iberis sempervirens & Aurinia saxatilis
with: Doronicum caucasicum, Allium aflatunense & Dicentra spectabilis (white or pink)
Tulipa: double late peony-flowered
with: Iris x germanica (blue)
TULIPA
BY SIZE
Tulipa: miniature
with: Helleborus orientalis
Tulipa: species types
seen in the photo above growing through a mat of double white Arabis
with: Mertensia virginica, Muscari
under: Veronica repens
with: Pulmonaria, Brunnera macrophylla, Dicentra, Aquilegia
TULIPA
BY COLOUR
Tulipa: any colour
in front of: tall plants such as Nepeta sibirica that will cover their dying foliage
Tulipa: any bright colour that needs toning down
with: Camassia leichtlinii 'Blue Danube' (with starry blue spikes)
Tulipa: pastel shades
Tulipa: cream-coloured
combined with: Eremurus himalaicus (white) & Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White'
Tulipa: crimson (a cool red on the blue side of the spectrum)
Tulipa: crimson and/or rose
interplanted with: Myosotis
behind edger of Iberis sempervirens
beside: Iris florentina (gray-blue)
all above plants in front of: pink-flowered apple tree or white Syringa vulgaris bushes
Tulipa: lavender
with: Bergenia cordifolia, Salvia x superba 'East Friesland'
Tulipa: lavender & cherry
with: pink Flowering Crabapple tree
Tulipa: magenta-red double early
with: Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
Tulipa: mauve
with: Bergenia cordifolia
Tulipa: mauve & creamy yellow
with: Lunaria biennis (white or magenta), all behind Aubrieta deltoidea
all in front of: Spiraea thunbergii (dwarf early white Bridalwreath Spirea shrub)
Tulipa: orange
with: yellow Aurinia saxatilis
Tulipa: soft orange
combined with: yellow Doronicum caucasicum, yellow Aurinia saxatilis & white Iberis sempervirens
Tulipa: strong orange
with: Phlox subulata 'Atropurpurea'
Tulipa: pink
combined with: Veronica gentianoides (ice-blue), pink Dicentra & Bellis perennis
with: Bellis perennis, Myosotis (of a similar shade), Salvia x superba 'East Friesland'
between: Centaurea dealbata rosea & Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy'
Tulipa: pink, lavender & plum
near: Dicentra spectabilis (pink)
filling spaces between: clumps of Salvia 'East Friesland'
Tulipa: pink & white
with: Brunnera macrophylla (sky-blue)
Tulipa: pale pink
with: Phlox subulata 'Atropurpurea'
Tulipa: vibrant pink
Tulipa: plum-coloured
with: Bergenia cordifolia, Salvia x superba 'East Friesland'
Tulipa: dark plum & mauve
in front of: Rosa rubrifolia (a shrub rose)
near: Pulsatilla vulgaris (silvery mauve seedheads will be present at same time)
behind: Phlox amoena (rosy)
Tulipa: dark purple
behind: Phlox subulata (pink)
Tulipa: red
with: Bellis perennis, Iberis sempervirens, Muscari
under: Myosotis (blue) under a white-flowered apple tree
Tulipa: bright red
with: Muscari, Myosotis
with: Lunaria annua (Money Plant, Honesty)
Tulipa: a crimson red
with: Nepeta x faassenii
behind: Phlox subulata (pink)
Tulipa: late-blooming red
with: Veronica pectinata 'Rosea' (rose-pink with soft gray-green foliage)
Tulipa: scarlet (a warm red leaning to orange)
with: Dicentra spectabilis (white)
Tulipa: white
for all-white effect with: white Arabis caucasica, Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba', Phlox subulata (white)
with: Bergenia cordifolia 'Perfecta' (lilac-red)
with: Linum perenne & Phlox paniculata 'Miss Lingard' (white)
with: Lunaria annua
with: Muscari, Primula
with: Pulmonaria saccharata 'Mrs. Moon'
behind: Phlox subulata (pink)
with: Phlox maculata 'Miss Lingard' (white) & Linum perenne
combined with: Phlox subulata (pink), sky blue Iris (Intermediate) & white Narcissus poeticus, dark plum Tulipa &
Dicentra, all in front of pink Honeysuckle or Bridalwreath Spirea x arguta 'Compacta'
Tulipa: late-blooming white
with: Paeonia suffruticosa 'Godaishu' ('Five Continents')
Tulipa: white & green like 'Spring Green' (see below)
with: Polygonatum odoratum
Tulipa: yellow
with: Linum perenne & Phlox paniculata
'Miss Lingard' (white)
combined with: Veronica gentianoides (ice-blue), white Dicentra & Myosotis
Tulipa: yellow & lavender
with: Iris x germanica (tall deep purple)
with: Phlox maculata 'Miss Lingard' & Linum perenne
combined with: Iris x germanica (violet or purple Intermediate) & Allium aflatunense,
all behind Nepeta 'Dropmore Blue', all in front of Ribes odoratum 'Aureum'
Tulipa: pale yellow
Tulipa: white lily-flowered
under: Pulmonaria rubra
near: Dicentra spectabilis & Endymion hispanicus (also called both Scilla campanulata and Hyacinthoides hispanicus)
beside: Hosta
Tulipa: yellow lily-flowered
under: Doronicum 'Finesse' (shorter than the common D. caucasicum)
near: Mertensia virginica or Brunnera macrocephala
TULIPA
BY SPECIES
Tulipa clusiana:
with: Phlox subulata (pink & most colours)
Tulipa kaufmanniana:
with: Chionodoxa de luciliae, Phlox subulata (especially pink), Phlox subulata (most colours)
Tulipa tarda:
with other bulbs: Anemone blanda, Chionodoxa de luciliae, Narcissus 'Hawera', Tulipa turkestanica
Tulipa turkestanica:
seen in their first year above, before the critters ate them all - we intend to try them again soon
with: Stachys byzantina, Muscari armenaicum, Tulipa tarda
TULIPA
BY CULTIVAR NAME
Tulipa 'Angelique': pale rose on cream, 12-14", semi-double, late-blooming
where: front of border
with: Tulipa 'May Wonder' (these are perfect together)
Tulipa 'Apricot Beauty':
a lovely cultivar - plant some this fall for a wonderful showing next spring
Tulipa 'Apricot Parrot': 15" Parrot type, apricot-yellow
with: white bloomers, some pinks and purple shades
Tulipa 'Atilla': 16" purple mid-season Triumph type
Tulipa 'Ballerina': reddish-orange lily-flowered type
behind: Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue', near Allium aflatunense & Tulipa 'Queen of the Night' (a dark purple),
all in front of a Syringa vulgaris shrub
Tulipa 'Bellona': an early yellow
combined with: Narcissus 'Yellow Cheerfulness', Muscari (blue) & Fritillaria imperialis (a yellow form)
Tulipa 'Blue Parrot': fringed and ruffled
this beautiful cultivar can be seen in the border around this page and in the images at the top of the page and directly above
above growing up through: white Viola
with: Myosotis, marigolds
over: Muscari
Tulipa 'Blushing Beauty': 3' canary-yellow single late-blooming
where: large plantings, deep mixed borders
Tulipa'Burgundy Lace'
a fringed type as seen above
Tulipa 'Couleur Cardinal': early crimson
behind: double-flowered Arabis caucasica
combined with: Arabis albida 'Flore Plena', Mertensia virginica & Narcissus (late white)
Tulipa 'Cum Laude'
a lovely pink form as seen above with the turquoise of a neighbour's peacock in the background
Tulipa 'Dance': early Fosteriana type
where: along a front walk
Tulipa 'Dillenburg': very late, peachy-orange
with: Aurinia saxatilis
combined with: Veronica whitleyi (early-blooming soft blue), Iris x germanica (lemon yellow Intermediate) &
combined with: Phlox subulata (lavender-blue), Iris (cream to orange early Bearded type) & Dicentra spectabilis (white)
combined with: Iris x germanica (a yellow Intermediate) & Viola 'Arkwright Ruby' as an edger
under: a white-flowered apple or pear tree
Tulipa 'Estella Rijnveld': creamy striped and brushed with crimson
with: Tulipa 'White Parrot'
Tulipa 'Fringed Elegance': lemon-yellow, a Darwin hybrid type
with: Scilla sibirica
under or behind: Stachys lanata
Tulipa 'General de Wet': a citrus-scented, soft orange etched with red
with: Muscari
echo with: Narcissus 'Cheerfulness' (double white with orange flecks)
in front of: Fritillaria imperialis
Tulipa 'Golden Apeldoorn': yellow
with: white or yellow & white Narcissus
Tulipa 'Hibernia': 16" white (with a hint of green) mid-season Triumph type
with: the most exotic shades of other co-bloomers
Tulipa 'Lilac Perfection': lilac 20" double late tulip, a peony look-alike
where: prominent position in the garden
Tulipa 'Little Beauty': dark red with blue eyes, a 2-3" dwarf
where: front of border
with other bulbs: Tulipa tarda, Anemone blanda (blue), other species Tulipa
under larger bulbs: Narcissus 'Thalia'
Tulipa 'Mariette': deep rose, 25", mid-season lily-flowered type
Tulipa 'Maureen': tall white
in front of: Prunus triloba 'Multiplex'
behind: Veronica gentianoides (ice-blue)
Tulipa 'May Wonder':
perfect companion with: Tulipa 'Angelique' (pale rose on cream, semi-double, late)
Tulipa 'Menton': rose-pink 24" single late
with: deep pinks, reds and creams
Tulipa 'Mount Hood': white Trumpet
with: Tulipa 'Red Emperor'
Tulipa 'New Design': pink and white with white-edged foliage
with: Phlox subulata 'Scarlet Flame' (a bright pink)
Tulipa 'Niphetos': lily-flowered
with: Phlox subulata (white), Iris (dwarf apricot) & Allium 'Purple Sensation'
Tulipa 'Ollioules': 20-24", a Darwin hybrid
in front of: Tulipa 'Pink Impression'
Tulipa 'Orange Emperor': soft orange
combined with: Narcissus (with orange, apricot or pink cups) & Mertensia virginicia (turquoise)
Tulipa 'Orange Favorite': a parrot type
with: Rudbeckia fulgida speciosa 'Goldsturm'
Tulipa 'Pink Diamond': pale pink single late
combined with: Tulipa 'Maureen' (white) over Myosotis
Tulipa 'Queen of Night': maroon, 29", single late
with: soft lavender and cream Tulipa
Tulipa 'Queen of Sheba': lily-flowered, red with a yellow edge
for a colour echo in front of: Euonymus (one with a chartreuse-yellow colour)
Tulipa 'Red Emperor': 18", early, Fosteriana type
with: Muscari
with: white Trumpet Narcissus 'Mount Hood'
Tulipa 'Renown': pink
seen in the photo above with a drift of purple Aubrieta beyond
combined with: Tulipa 'Kingsblood', 'Maureen' & 'Menton' (all single lates)
Tulipa 'Rosy Wings': a light coral shade
behind: Allium karataviense
Tulipa 'Spring Green': white with green markings
in front of: Myrrhis odorata
in light shade amid: white Lamium maculatum
for all-white effect with Leucojum aestivum & Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White'
Tulipa 'Sweet Harmony': butter coloured
with: Aurinia saxatilis
combined with: Phlox subulata (lavender-blue), Iris (cream to orange early Bearded type) & Dicentra spectabilis (white)
Tulipa 'West Point': yellow, lily-flowered
drifted in front of: Euphorbia epithymoides
combined with: Phlox subulata (white), Iris (dwarf apricot) & Allium 'Purple Sensation'
Tulipa 'White Cascade': 18", mid-season Triumph
with: anything (it complements every colour)
Tulipa 'White Parrot': 23", pure white, Parrot type, late-blooming
with: Tulipa 'Estella Rijnveld'
Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder': miniature 8", pink crocus-like, deeper rosy-purple veining & yellow center and stamens
above with: the wonderful foliage of Geranium renardii
where: rock gardens, niches in terraces, window boxes
Tulipa greigii 'Donna Bella':
with: gentian-blue Chionodoxa sardensis
Tulipa greigii 'Oriental Splendour': orange-red-yellow
with: Tulipa greigii 'Oxford’s Elite' (scarlet)
both underplanted with: Viola (one with lots of yellow for accent)
Tulipa praestans 'Fusilier': 12", orange-red
with: Anemone blanda, Myosotis
Tulipa: Darwin
FOR MORE BULBS & THEIR COMPANIONS, FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW.
All of our own Gardens By The Bay pages can be accessed by clicking on the links below.
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PLANT PARTNERSHIPS
BLUE PERENNIALS Aconitum -
Geranium |
Iris - Vinca
BULBS Allium - Hyacinthus |
Narcissus only |
Tulipa only |
Minor Bulbs
BUTTERFLY MAGNETS Anaphalis - Hemerocallis |
Liatris - Veronicastrum
 DAYLILIES Spider & Unusual Form
EDGERS Arabis - Iris |
Nepeta - Veronica
FOLIAGE PERENNIALS
Alchemilla - Tanacetum
HOSTA Hosta - all
HUMMINGBIRD-FRIENDLY PERENNIALS Alcea - Salvia
ORANGE PERENNIALS Achillea - Tulipa
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES Acorus - Imperata |
Miscanthus - Spodiopogon
PINK PERENNIALS Achillea - Lilium |
Lychnis - Veronica
PURPLE PERENNIALS Aconitum - Liatris |
Polemonium - Veronica
RED PERENNIALS Achillea - Veronica
SHADE PERENNIALS Aegopodium - Erythronium |
Ferns - Polemonium |
Polygonatum - Vinca
SILVER FOLIAGE PERENNIALS
Achillea - Cerastium
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Cornus - Limonium
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Lunaria - Veronica
SIMPLY SPECIAL PERENNIALS Acanthus - Saxifraga
WHITE PERENNIALS Achillea - Iris |
Kalimeris - Yucca
YELLOW PERENNIALS Achillea - Hypericum |
Inula - Verbascum
VARIEGATED-FOLIAGE PERENNIALS Acorus - Erythronium |
Hakonechloa - Lysimachia |
Miscanthus - Yucca
PLANT PROFILES
Dianthus 'Tiny Rubies' |
Geranium |
Geum coccineum |
Kerria japonica |
Knautia macedonica
Paeonia tenuifolia |
Papaver somniferum |
Rudbeckia |
Salvia 'East Friesland'
Trollius |
Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'
PROPAGATION
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DO NOT DIVIDE
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