Growing Fringed Tulips: Fringed Tulip Information And Care

Purple Fringed Tulips
fringed tulips
(Image credit: wjarek)

Fringed tulip flowers have a distinct fringed area on the tips of their petals. This makes the plants very ornamental. If you think fringed tulip varieties would be nice in your garden, read on. We’ll give you enough fringed tulip information to get you on your way.

What is a Fringed Tulip?

To many gardeners, tulips are the sign that spring is right around the bend. The bright-blossomed flowers are the most popular bulb plants, and some 3,000 varieties are available.

Fringed tulip flowers are relatively new to the scene, and fringed tulip varieties have quickly gained a following. What is a fringed tulip? It is a type of tulip with finely incised fringe on the edges of the petals. According to fringed tulip information, this type of tulip comes in many colors and heights.

Like regular tulips, the fringed variety is a bulb plant and should be set into the ground in autumn.

Fringed Tulip Information

You will find many fringed tulip varieties available in commerce. Some have fringes in the same color as the petals, but others have contrasting fringes. For example, ‘Bell Song’ has lovely coral flowers, yet the fringe tipping the pink petals is white. This variety of fringed tulip flowers grows to 20 inches (50 cm.) tall and blooms in mid-to-late spring.

Another of the delightful fringed tulip varieties is ‘Cummins,’ with extra-large fringed tulip flowers. The blossoms can grow to 4 inches (10 cm.) wide and open in late spring. The petals are lavender-purple on the outside, but white on the inside and sport showy white fringe.

‘Flaming parrot’ is in-your-face flamboyant. The fringed blooms are enormous, and the petals are twisted and vibrantly colored, bright yellow with prominent red striping. They start blooming mid-to-late season.

Or how about ‘Davenport,’ a head-turner with deep crimson leaves and canary fringes. It can grow to 18 inches (45 cm.) tall. For pure elegance, try ‘Swan Wings,’ offering fragrant snow-white blossoms delicately fringed in white.

Growing Fringed Tulips

Given how incredibly showy the fringed tulip flowers are, you might think that bringing them into your garden would require a lot of work. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Like regular tulips, it’s easy to start growing fringed tulips. Plant the bulbs in autumn, in well-draining soil that gets full sunlight.

You can start growing fringed tulips in the flower beds, but that’s not all. They also thrive in outdoor containers or can be forced indoors in winter too.

Teo Spengler
Writer

Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.