SINGLE LATE TULIPS comprise most of the hundreds of tulips I have in the different beds in the yard. They are among the latest flowering tulips available, and probably the reason I love them so much is that they are the tallest, with some of the largest blooms, and have the most diversity in their color range. These gorgeous award-winners have a super genetic vitality, with elegant, lily-shaped blooms. I have several different hybrids, reaching 30" in height, and when fully open, their blooms stretch a full 8-10"! (That's a HUGE tulip!) There is nothing quite so glorious than a bed full of single late tulips! I love Temple of Beauty, and several of its sports--Blushing Beauty, Blushing Lady, and Perestrokya. I also love Big Smile and Temple's Favorite. Fall is the proper time to plant your tulip bulbs. I like to plant a few groups each year, adding to what I've got. I mark the places I need them early in the season when the others are blooming. This keeps the beds looking vigorous. I find that the first year the tulips bloom is usually their largest. I fertilize them as soon as their greenery emerges, and again right after they have bloomed with a good bulb fertilizer, or balanced ferilizer. Tulips go with all of the plants I can think of. Their yellowing foliage is the one drawback. To let the foliage yellow completely is, I have to say, very hard to do. So, to make it easier, plant your tulips so that other perennials will grow up and hide the yellowing leaves. This way the bulbs will get the nourishment that they need in order to have good bloom next year.
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