Among the many tulips available for the garden, "Queen of the Night" offers black tulip flowers and minimal care. The flowers are actually a deep, dark purple, so dark they appear black. There is no such thing as truly black tulip flowers. Queen of the Night offers an easy care tulip that beginning gardeners can grow to experiment with color combinations in the spring garden. Pair Queen of the Night with spring flowers that can take the cold and enjoy a colorful display for many months.
About Queen of the Night Tulips
According to the book Tulips: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Growing (Arend Jan Van Der Horst and Sam Benvie), Queen of the Night developed out of the Darwin hybrid tulips. Darwin hybrids developed in the late 19th century out of the so-called English cottage garden tulips. A Frenchman by the name of M. J. Lenglart, an amateur grower, produced the first Darwin hybrids by crossing strains of cottage garden tulips until he attained the desired blooms, vigor and growth habits. Darwin tulips are late-flowering, blooming last among the various tulip bulbs. The flowers are wide at the base and taper gently and feature the classic tulip shape most people think of when they think tulips.
Queen of the Night is the best known of the black tulip flowers, but in truth, the flowers are actually a deep purple color. While there's no such thing as a 'true black' black tulip flower, but Queen of the Night comes very close. In the early morning and evening twilight, the flowers do indeed appear black. They grow to be approximately 30" tall and may return to bloom again for several years if grown under the optimal conditions.
Growing Tulips and Black Tulip Flowers
Although black tulip flowers look fancy, growing tulips such as Queen of the Night requires no special care. The best time to plant tulip bulbs is in the fall before the ground freezes. Read the package directions on the back of the bulb package and know the gardening zone; both facts dictate when to plant Queen of the Night tulips.
Dig the hole to the required depth, typically eight inches for tulips. A bulb auger or a special drill helps dig the hole. Holes need not be very wide but they must be deep. The depth of the hole prevents early sprouting of tulips and provides them with the period of chilly temperatures they need for best blossoms.
Plant tulips in full sun in rich, well drained soil. Tulips may be planted underneath deciduous trees such as maples, oaks and dogwood provided that the tulips receive full sunlight before the tree leafs out entirely in the spring. Add compost or bone meal to the soil, which adds vital nutrients that tulips need to produce their best flowers. Plant tulip bulbs with the pointy side up, like a Hershey's kiss; the stems and flowers rise up and push through the earth from the pointy side, while the flat, bulbous side produces roots.
Queen of the Night is subject to the same garden pests as any other tulips. Rabbits, squirrels, mice, rats and deer are the biggest garden pests, attacking tulip bulbs, flowers and stems. Use organic products such as bone meal or Milorganite to ward off pests with scent or a commercial spray such as hot pepper spray or Ropel, which makes bulbs taste bad to the animals. Be sure to wear rubber gloves when using pepper spray or Ropel and follow the package directions; the bad odor may be transmitted to human skin too through casual contact. Follow label directions carefully.
Best Spring Flowers to Pair with Queen of the Night Tulips
The unusual black color of Queen of the Night tulips adds a dramatic flair to the early spring garden. Choose early spring flowers that can take the cold, such as pansies, and plant them among the Queen of the Night tulips. Pick colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel, such as yellow pansies, to highlight the rich depth of color among the Queen of the Night tulips. Other good choices are yellow or white crocus, white stocks, or white, yellow or striped early spring blooming tulips.
