How to Design the Planting of Tulips

Walk outside around the yard to imagine how tulips might look in various locations. Scan foundation walls, fence lines, established flower beds and parts of the lawn that can be dug up for new garden space or where tulips can be naturalized. Naturalizing means growing bulb plants outside of cultivated beds, such as under trees and bushes or in grassy areas. A good rule of thumb is to plant them in odd-numbered groupings to avoid a regimented look.

View pictures of tulip plantings in bulb catalogs, print magazines and online at websites such as Breck's to get ideas about color, height, texture and massing. The Breck's website (see Resources) provides photos and details about types of plantings including borders, containers, foundation beds, lawns, rock gardens and slopes.

Determine your budget. Read garden catalogs to get an idea of costs before settling on a location and type of planting. Keep in mind that tulip plantings expand over time, because each flower produces seed plus many bulblets. Plan a bed that will allow for additional plants.

Seek expert advice about creating an attractive display, such as the tips available at the Grounds Maintenance website. Remember local climate when buying bulbs, the site reports, noting that warmer areas require earlier blooming varieties. Consider how close or far away viewers will be, choosing bright colors if the flowers will be viewed from a distance. Don't alternate colors in plantings, the website warns, because that creates "goofy diagonal rows."

Go out into the yard again to visit the area where the tulips will grow. Visualize the massing of the flowers. Decide whether the layout will be formal, such as rows of tulips with the shortest in front and the tallest at the back (or in the center if the bed is round), or naturalistic with the flowers scattered amid other plantings.

Estimate the quantity of bulbs necessary by planning on spacing tulips 4 to 6 inches apart. The shorter the tulip, the closer they can be spaced, according to Grounds Maintenance.

Draw a picture of the plan before purchasing bulbs.