The vibrant display of tulips in mid-to-late spring marks a welcome return of color to the garden landscape. However, as the petals drop, gardeners are often left with a sudden void, or “gap,” in the flower border. The principle of succession planting is the strategic way to address this, ensuring that one wave of spectacular blooms is immediately followed by another. By carefully planning the transition, it is possible to achieve a seamless flow of color and texture that extends the garden’s peak season well into early summer. This technique requires an understanding of both the tulip’s post-bloom needs and the timing of subsequent plantings.
Managing the Spent Tulip Foliage
Proper care of finished tulip plants is the first step in planning for subsequent blooms. Once the tulip flower has faded, deadheading must be completed immediately. This involves snipping off the spent flower head to prevent the plant from diverting energy into seed production, which drains the bulb’s resources.
Leaving the remaining stem and green foliage intact is necessary for the bulb’s health. The leaves continue photosynthesis, creating and storing carbohydrates for next year’s bloom. Gardeners must resist the temptation to cut or tie the foliage, allowing it to die back naturally over four to six weeks. Applying a low-nitrogen, bulb-specific fertilizer immediately after blooming helps the bulb recharge fully.
Successional Bulb Planting
To ensure an immediate follow-up to the tulip show, the next layer of color often uses spring-planted bulbs with later bloom times. Ornamental onions, known as Alliums, are a natural successor, frequently blooming just as the last tulips are fading. Varieties like Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ appear in late May, providing striking spherical flower heads that offer a different form and texture.
Late-blooming daffodil varieties, such as Narcissus poeticus, bridge the gap between the main tulip season and summer flowers. These selections emerge later than common early-spring daffodils. Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) also contribute, offering spikes of blue, pink, or white bell-shaped flowers that naturalize well. Planting these bulbs at different depths in the fall, a technique called bulb layering, ensures the next bloom cycle emerges in the same space as the previous one ends. This combination of subsequent bulbs maintains the density and vertical interest of the garden bed.
Integrating Perennials and Annual Fillers
The transition relies on non-bulbous plants to provide structure, long-term color, and to hide yellowing tulip foliage. Perennials offer a permanent framework, emerging and expanding their foliage when tulips enter dormancy. Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) and Peonies are excellent choices, as their dense, emerging leaves quickly provide a visual screen for the fading bulb leaves.
Early-blooming Daylilies (Hemerocallis) serve a similar purpose, as their strap-like foliage grows rapidly in late spring, creating a lush backdrop and preparing for their own summer display. Plants like Hosta and Brunnera are particularly effective in partially shaded areas, with their large, heart-shaped leaves unfurling to completely mask the deteriorating bulb foliage.
For immediate, season-long color and quick coverage, annuals are essential. Cool-weather annuals such as Pansies (Viola × wittrockiana) can be planted early, even alongside blooming tulips, and will flower until summer heat arrives. Once the tulip foliage is fully removed, warmer-weather annuals like Petunias and Impatiens can be planted directly into the space. These quick-growing plants provide instant visual distraction and continuous, vibrant color until the first frost.