By late spring, the first wave of tulips has come and gone, and the beds can look a little quiet. That’s when someone walking past notices a cluster of cream-colored blooms splashed with red and pink at the center, standing as if the season had saved something for last.
Sorbet tulips are late bloomers, carrying color from spring into the early days of summer. Their tall, strong stems reach about 24 to 26 inches and are noted for holding up through wind and rain, so one stormy afternoon doesn’t end the show. They’re easy to grow in full sun to partial shade and rated for zones 3 through 8.
Plant 16 bulbs for a bright corner by the mailbox or 40 for a border that keeps going after the others have finished. Weeks after the first tulips have gone, there’s still something new to see by the gate.
