Clusters of yellow star-shaped flowers, edged white. Plant thickly to create a glittering spring carpet. Given a sunny spot, Tarda proves most reliable, often blooming year after year. Tien-Shan Mountains, China. Grows almost like a ground cover: naturalizes, perennializes and self-seeds. There are about 150 species of tulips that occur in the wild from Central Asia all the way to Spain and Portugal. Most are native to rocky, arid regions east of Europe. It is hard to believe that these little flowers, more the size of crocus, are the original forms of the big flashy hybridized tulips we all know and love. But to any wildflower gardener who looks close, the brilliant colors and even the petal shapes and other characteristics are there. They are all really botanical heirlooms in the truest sense, and deserve a place in every garden.
