Tulip Annika

Tulip Annika is a small tulip with a lot of character. Each flower opens in soft salmon pink and ivory, then deepens to warm fuchsia as it matures. At the heart of the bloom sits a rich purple to almost black center, which really shows when the petals open wide in the sun and gives each flower a clear star pattern. Tulip Annika belongs to the species group of Tulipa clusiana, often called lady tulips. Every bulb sends up several slender stems, with three to five flowers on each one, so even a small planting looks busy with color.  The plants stay compact, usually around six to eight inches tall in the garden, which makes them ideal for the front of a border, a rock garden, or a pot on the patio. For gardeners in the United States, Tulip Annika is a very easy keeper. Like other clusiana types it is long lived and happy to naturalize, especially in well drained soil that dries out in summer. It flowers early, often in April, and is hardy in roughly zones four to nine, so it will thrive in much of the country from cooler northern states to many parts of the South and West where larger tulips struggle. Bees are drawn to the open star shaped blooms on bright days, while deer usually leave species tulips alone, which makes Annika a good choice for more natural settings. Plant Tulip Annika bulbs in fall in a sunny spot with light soil, tucking them a few inches deep and fairly close together so the little cups make a solid sheet of color. Once settled, the bulbs return year after year, sending up their soft pink flowers at the very start of tulip season and giving the garden an easy, natural look that feels more like a wildflower drift than a formal display.