Companion Plants That Will Live Well With Colorful Tulips In The Garden

We love tulips for many reasons. They are some of the first blooms to emerge after a long winter, and these gorgeous flowers come in a vast number of colors, from white to almost black. They even have some fascinating shapes beyond the classic style. The lady tulip (Tulipa clusiana) opens wide to make a gorgeous star shape, while the family of parrot tulips offers frilly petals in nearly every color of the rainbow. Since these beautiful blooms are so versatile, they work well with a number of companion plants.

While they are stunning, tulips are also short-lived. The blooms only last about two weeks outdoors, but the greens must be left until they die back so the bulbs can store energy for next year's blooms. As you make a plan for the landscaping around your tulips, consider adding plants that bloom at the same time as well as varieties that will hide the unsightly top growth as it dies back for the season.

Available in many colors and sizes, the foliage of daylilies start to emerge around the same time that tulip leaves are becoming unsightly. Planting a row of daylilies in front of your tulip bulbs creates a visual barrier that hides the fading tulips while providing beautiful summer blooms. For even more visual interest, plant a row of taller daylilies behind a shorter cultivar.

Also known as a Lenten rose, hellebores are some of the first perennials to bloom in late winter. If you want to start your blooming season early, consider adding hellebores around your tulip bulbs. As you wait for the foliage and buds of tulips to emerge, you can enjoy the unique shape of this herbaceous plant, which also provides nectar for early emerging beneficial insects.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more hardy and low-maintenance companion plant than liriope. This ornamental grass-like plant is often called monkey grass and comes in green and variegated varieties. Liriope makes an excellent border plant with lush leaves that hide fading flower foliage. It is drought-tolerant and darn near impossible to kill, but because this plant is so tough, some cultivars spread quickly.

Ornamental alliums are members of the onion and garlic family. These fun bulbs grow up to 4 feet tall with round heads covered in clusters of tiny star-shaped flowers. Although there are some fall-blooming varieties, most bloom in the spring. When you are shopping for tulip and allium bulbs, look for cultivars of each that are expected to bloom at the same time in your region. This bulb combo makes a visually stunning arrangement in the garden and indoors as cut flowers.

This easy-to-grow herb is perfect for more than a kitchen garden. It is not bold or showy, but it does produce small blooms in the summer that bees and other native beneficial insects love. Growing thyme as a ground cover helps reduce the need for weeding and mulch while providing visual texture to the space. The tiny green leaves die back over the winter, allowing room for bulbs to poke through, although you may need occasionally remove some sections of the plant if your growth is very dense.

Grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) are tiny bulbs whose flowers make a big impact when you plant many in a grouping. This option blooms around the same time as tulips and make a good companion by adding color and texture. Plant your grape hyacinths in front of your tulip bulbs for layers of flowers. These blooms only come in one color, purple, so plant them with complementary hues of tulips.