How to Color Block Tulip Plantings!

 For the past two years, I’ve purchased tulip bulbs online & them planted them in my garden in late October to early November.  I’m in Garden Zone 6, & now is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs.  A photo in “The English Garden” magazine gave me inspiration for how I plant my tulips: which is in big blocks of color (i.e. all purple tulips together, next to white tulips, next to pink, etc.).  I think color-blocking is one of the most dramatic ways to plant tulips!  So here I’ll explain how to color block tulip plantings in your own garden ~ with plenty of photos & examples….

Color blocking means planting similar colors together, next to other complimentary block of colors…

In case you’re wondering if bulbs bought online will grow: the answer is a resounding YES!  Bulbs are one of the best garden purchases you can make online ~ they ship easily, & are almost impossible to damage in transit.  Plus, it costs about $1 per tulip, vs. paying $10+ for a grown tulip in the spring.

This photo of Pashley Manor was my inspiration for color-blocking tulips! Photo: The Enlish Garden.

How to Color Block Tulips

• The idea of color-blocking is quite simple: you’re going to take all of your pink tulips & plant them together; then all of your white tulips, & plant them together; all of your purple, orange tulips, etc.  You’re basically creating large swaths of color in your garden by planting similarly-colored bulbs together.
• In a color-blocked arrangement: think about what colors look good NEXT to each other.  I like purple by orange, white, or pink; pink looks great by purple or white; yellow looks good next to white & pink, etc.
• To achieve a nice blend, plant your tulips in a bit of a diamond-shape, or on the diagonal, so that one color naturally leads to the next ~ instead of having a more harsh, straight line.  However, at places like the Tulip Festival in Oregon (pictured below), they DO plant in straight lines, & it looks fantastic ~ but they’re also planting thousands of bulbs at a time.  At home, when you have fewer bulbs, I think it softens the look to plant on the diagonal.
• In addition to planting tulips by other tulips: think about having evergreens or perennials in the background, to give them a dramatic backdrop ~ like in the photo below, where boxwood hedges make the pink tulips really POP.

Examples of Color-Blocked Tulips

This grouping of pink tulips brings DRAMA. Photo: Country Life.

My dog Dylan & I are in front of a perfectly color-blocked row of orange tulips!

Rows & rows of beautiful pink tulips….at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon.

Peach tulips lead to pink, then purple at Wardington Manor in England. Photo: The Glam Pad.

Tulips are grouped by color in front of this pretty home, creating a rainbow effect.

Row after row of color-blocked tulips, in Oregon.

How to Color Block Tulip Plantings

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