Soon spring will finally arrive in Minnesota after a very long winter.  The warmer and longer days trigger spring flowers to reawaken.  One of my favorite spring flowers are tulips but the dutch hybrid varieties are either dug up before emerging or buds are nipped by deer just as they about to bloom.  Specie tulips that I have been growing for clients for a number of year do not seemed to be bothered by animals and provide early season color to bed border’s.

Tulipa linifolia prefers gravelly gritty soils found in it’s native range of Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkestan.  This a small tulip, like most specie tulips, but provides a colorful punch to the landscape with it’s scarlet red bowl shaped flowers.  Try planting this bulb or other specie bulbs to enjoy tulips in your landscape.