How best to choose tulip bulbs is a mixture of aesthetic and practical concerns.

If there’s a tulip flower that isn’t beautiful it would be hard to find. That makes for a wide variety of choices when it comes to picking on the basis of appearance alone.

Solid colors do tend to dominate, though. Tulips are available in everything from pink to peach to yellow, orange, red, purple, along with black and white. Such species as Purple Prince and White Cascade provide clues to the flower’s color.

But there are also a number of stipled, striped or speckled species. So-called Parrot tulips, for example come in solid colors but there are several bi-colored cultivars. Apricot Parrot, Blue Parrot, Black Parrot and White Parrot give you the idea. Saxatilis produces lavender-pink flowers that are yellow at the base.

Color isn’t the only criteria for beauty, though. Flower style provides variety and gives gardeners a chance to mix and match. The image of tulips as a kind of tiny, colored liquor glass-shape is misleading since they come in a number of different shapes.

The previously mentioned Parrot Tulips, for instance, have buds that resemble the bird’s beak, hence their name. The flowers then open wide in the sun until they’re practically flat like a large Narcissus. Chrysanthas are another type that open to form a star-shaped flower. One type, called Tubergen’s Gem, is particularly striking.

A whole class, called Greigii Tulips, produce large, colorful blooms that average six inches across. The outer petals stretch out nearly flat, while a series of inner ones have a more stereotypical tulip shape. They also have foliage that is purplish and striped or mottled, demonstrating that it isn’t just the appearance of the flower that can influence your choice.

Greigii are a good choice for another reason, as well. Tulips are often treated as annuals because they’re hard to get to bloom for more than a year or two. But Greigii Tulips are long-living and can bloom for several years with only average care. Cape Cod, Chopin, Red Riding Hood and other delightful names produce equally delightful plants year after year.

At the other extreme, there are many so-called Species Tulips that create unusually small blossoms that are attractive for that reason. Species Tulips are cultivated wildflowers and they’re very hardy. Persian Pearl, for example, is a perfect choice for those who want to provide minimal care. They’re also one of the few tulips that can be left in the ground year round and still be expected to bloom the next year.

The desired scent is another possible criteria.

Couleur Cardinal, General de Wet and Yokohama are only a few of the species that have a delightful fragrance. These Single Early tulips are the perfect choice for a rock garden or an indoor pot. Sylvestris, sometimes known as the Forest Tulip, is another good option. They produce fragrant yellow flowers on stems about six to ten inches tall.

Whichever category or species you choose, whether for ease of care or esthetic preference or both, look for healthy bulbs at least an inch and a half high. Larger species may be up to three to five inches.

Unless bulbs from different species have been accidentally mixed, smaller bulbs in a batch will (in general) not be as healthy. All should be free of any dark spots, too. A healthy tulip bulb will be surrounded by several layers of dry, brown ‘onion skin’ that protects the bulb. It should be firm to the touch with no soft spots.

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