The old Darwins have been recommended by Becky Heath. My Pink Impressions are showing great budding this 2nd year.

Kaufmanniana for shorter. Have read the Greggiis also.

I read Triumphs are very poor at naturalizing, no matter how cold the winter.

The greggiis are really good, I have a patch of red ones that have come back for about three years or so? "Little Red Riding Hood" is a great red!

I have, I guess a Darwin type that my dad planted over 10 years ago and it still comes up and blooms. There's another of the group that always sends up foliage but never blooms, I'm sure there are multiple tulips under there.

I think the trick is that the soil during the summer needs to be BAKED, no additional watering. Tulips come from Iran/Greece/Afganistan/Kazakstan etc after all.

Max

I live near Dallas. The land where tulips become compost. I tossed a bunch of bulbs in my neglected compost pile. What a surprise! Several Red Ridinghood Greiggis were blooming there next spring. I also had another greiggi that is also very short and yellow return where I didn't pull the bulbs out.

I can count on clusiana "the lady tulips" returning year after year. I've had "Cynthia" for several years now and Lady Jane has returned also. Only 1 year thus far.

Here is a link that might be useful: clusiana species tulips here

The one that's survived longest for me is T. praestans 'Fusilier'.

My mother has a patch of red and yellow emperors that's almost as old as I am. But still, with tulips you can't expect them all to bloom every year, the one which are splitting don't bloom. A normal tulip lifespan involves blooming maybe 3 years out of 10 (although for about 3 of those years they are basically invisible because they're much smaller than a mature tulip). To get them blooming every year, you have to expect that only 30% of them are going to bloom each year.

flora uk...

I was just going to add T. Praestans 'Unicum' which has returned for me 5+ years now...

multi-flowered and variegated. What more could you want in a tulip? (well, scent, but that's what hyacinths are for)

~Chills

The Darwin Hybrids should do well as perennials in your garden.

The Species Tulips should also do well and are lovely little jewels.

Sue

I have multiple species tulips going on ten years old in my garden. Love them. Their foliage is less obtrusive as it dies too.

Species tulips such as tulipa tarda seem to keep going forever, at least mine do. My fosteriana types such as Orange Emperor last many years, as do Red Riding Hood (Greigii) and Scarlet Baby (Kaufmanniana).