Annette, your garden combos are always so gorgeous! I'd love to see your garden in person one spring when the peonies are blooming!

I HOPE my parrot tulips continue to come back every year! I planted the first here around 3 years ago, probably around 50 bulbs, and they've multiplied every year so far. Ordered different colors this fall to add to the existing ones. I know we weren't able to overwinter them in the ground where I lived in Texas, didn't get cold enough for them, but I would've thought they'd be fine in zone 6! We're zone 4b here, colder than the surrounding areas because of our altitude. I grew other varieties fine in Parker as well and it's zone 5 along with the rest of the front range. The parrot tulips were at their peak here the 3rd and 4th week of May--there were so many of them we cut a bunch to use for table centerpieces for my daughter's high school graduation party. The earliest peonies showed up the very end of May, my fernleafs started opening just before I left for the APS convention.

Thanks Liz!

I always hoped that my Parrot tulips would return, but they never did. Mine bloomed at the end of March into early April, when the peonies only had buds. Can you imagine how gorgeous a garden would be if we had tulips and peonies blooming at the same time?

I have that pink and green one! I was so busy taking pictures of emerging peony foliage that I don't have a single pic of parrot tulips, did find this one of other, earlier tulips in my front beds. Looks pretty barren this time of year but probably took it because of the emerging peonies. Most in that bed are NOIDs but love to see them coming up, regardless. Can also see my Phoenix White TP in the background. We had at least one more fairly big snowstorm after this was taken and all of those tulips were toast. Even if the parrot tulips weren't so pretty I'd like them--they come up later and are less likely to have bendy stems and the flowers have never been damaged by the frosts. I say that and I'll probably lose them all this spring....

I got about 20 parrot tulip bulbs this year to try. Will see if they will return next year. I think the reason tulips return well for you Liz is that you must have low humidity in your area to prevent dormant tulip bulbs to rot. Annette and I being on the eastern part of the US has too much humidity and heat in the air and maybe soil during the summer months so that the tulips can't make it through the dormant stage without succumbing to rot.

You could be right, Karen. You're certainly right about the difference in humidity, never even considered it but just looked at zones. Very one dimensional of me to only consider absolute temps and forget about other factors.

This type of back and forth conversation is one of the main reasons I love this forum! The other is all of the pictures....again, superficial me, huh?!!

Beautiful pic Liz! Your tulips remind me of tulip Renown, and they're planted in such a beautiful setting! Your PWTP is also a great size.

Karen, I agree about the humidity. It's interesting that I have other tulips that will return. Some must be more sensitive than others.

Well we are not humid and I have little luck with returning tulips. That being aid the plain old red, yellow ones do come back for maybe two years then peter out. I didn't get any in this fall. Would it be okay to plant in spring. Know it isn't as good as they won't have the advantage of forming roots as soon as the soil permits.

I read an article that said that tulips are perennial in their native Turkey where the summers are very hot and dry. Oh! Here it is: http://www.americanmeadows.com...