Tulips That Look Like Roses – A Guide to Growing These Stunning Hybrid Flowers

Tulips are one of the most popular spring-blooming flowers, adding a gorgeous pop of color to gardens after the dreary winter months. There are over 3,000 tulip varieties, ranging from standard single blooms to extravagant, multi-petaled types. Among the many tulip types, there is a special subset that bears a remarkable resemblance to roses – the aptly named tulips that look like roses.

These unique tulips offer the beauty of roses with the ease of tulip care. Keep reading to learn all about tulips that look like roses, from why they look so similar to roses to tips for growing them yourself.

Why Do Some Tulips Resemble Roses?

Botanically speaking, tulips and roses are quite different flowers. Tulips belong to the Liliaceae family, while roses are in the Rosaceae family.

However, through years of selective breeding and hybridization, some tulip varieties have evolved to look strikingly rose-like. Here are some of the key factors that give these tulips their rose-resembling appearance:

• Abundant, multi-layered petals – The most rose-like tulips are double or multi-petaled, with many layers of thin petals. This creates a full, lush bloom reminiscent of fully-open roses.

• Ruffled or frilled petals – Many roses and peonies have gently ruffled edges on their petals. Frilled tulip varieties like the fringed tulip mimic this delicate, romantic look.

• Overlapping petal arrangement – Instead of sitting flat, the petals on rose-like tulips overlap and encircle each other similar to rose petals.

• Color range – Breeders have developed tulips that look like roses in classic rose shades like red, pink, white, and peach.

• Bloom shape – Full, round flower heads give tulips a rose-shaped silhouette.

So in short, abundant frilled petals, round bloom shape, and shared colors all make certain tulips look uncannily similar to their rose cousins!

12 Tulips That Look Like Roses

If you’d like to grow tulips with a rose-resembling look, here are 12 top varieties to consider:

1. Double French Tulip

As the name suggests, the Double French tulip is bursting with petals in shades of red, white, pink or yellow. The late April bloomer has a classic elegance.

2. Fringed Tulip

The ruffled, twisted petals on fringed tulips create a lightly tousled look. ‘Lasting Love’ is a romantic pink fringed variety.

3. Parrot Tulip

Parrot tulips have wavy, twisted petals in dazzling colors like scarlet, purple and yellow. ‘Apricot Parrot’ is a perfect peach color.

4. Double Lady Tulip

This elegant tulip has delicate white petals blushed with pink on the edges for a romantic, vintage vibe.

5. Peony Tulip

Peony tulips are named for their resemblance to peony flowers. Varieties like ‘Pink Impression’ have lush, full blooms.

6. Kaufmanniana Tulip

Also called the waterlily tulip for its cupped petals, Kaufmanniana types bloom early in vivid hues.

7. Fosteriana Tulip

One of the largest tulip types, the Fosteriana has big, full flowers on sturdy stems, like the ‘Madame Lefeber’ variety.

8. Greigii Tulip

Ruffled, pointed petals give Greigii tulips a star-like shape. ‘Red Riding Hood’ is a brilliant scarlet bloom.

9. Double Late Tulip

This late April bloomer has rosesque fully double flowers. ‘Mount Tacoma’ has crisp white petals.

10. Viridiflora Tulip

Viridiflora tulips have green streaks on their petals, like the shocking ‘Spring Green’ cultivar.

11. Darwin Hybrid Tulip

Classic Darwin tulips have large, elegant blooms. The Darwin ‘Daydream’ bloom opens cream then morphs to pink.

12. Lily-Flowered Tulip

Elegantly tapered, recurved petals give lily-flowered tulips a sophisticated look, like in the ‘Ballade Dream’ variety.

Growing Tulips That Look Like Roses

If you want to grow rose-like tulips in your own garden, here are some tips for success:

• Plant in full sun – Tulips thrive in a sunny spot with at least 6 hours of direct light per day. Morning sun is ideal.

• Plant bulbs in fall – For best results, plant tulip bulbs in the fall, around 4-6 weeks before the first frost date.

• Plant at correct depth – Plant tulip bulbs 4-8″ deep and 5-6″ apart in well-draining soil.

• Choose a sheltered spot – Wind can damage tulip petals. Plant near a wall or structure to shelter blooms.

• Add bonemeal when planting – Mix some bonemeal into the soil at planting time to provide phosphorus for root growth.

• Deadhead spent blooms – Cut off faded tulip flowers to direct the plant’s energy into the bulb instead of seed production.

• Let foliage die back naturally – Avoid cutting tulip foliage until it completely dies back, so the bulbs can store energy.

• Lift and store bulbs – Once the foliage is dead, lift bulbs, allow to dry, and store in a cool dry spot until fall replanting.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular display of tulips that look like roses come spring. Pair them with classic rose companions like forget-me-nots or alliums for a romantic multi-textured look.

Other Flowering Spring Bulbs That Can Look Like Roses

Beyond tulips, there are a few other spring flowering bulbs that can take on a rose-reminiscent look:

Daffodils – While standard trumpet-shaped daffodils don’t resemble roses, double daffodils like the ruffled ‘Sir Winston Churchill’ have rose-like pompom blooms.

Hyacinths – Double hyacinths have dense, full flower heads packed with tiny petals, somewhat evocative of certain multi-petaled rose varieties.

Dutch Iris – These miniature iris relatives bloom in spring in shades of blue, white, and yellow. The ruffled falls mimic rose petals.

Ranunculus – Ranunculus offer lush layers of thin, delicate petals that give them a rose-like look, especially in red, pink, and white colors.

Anemones – Though their open daisy-like blooms are quite distinct, frilly double varieties like the Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen’ have semi-rose shaped flowers.

Enjoy the Beauty of Roses and Tulips Together

While tulips that resemble roses offer great bang for your buck, you can also plant classic roses alongside tulips for a double dose of floral goodness.

Early-blooming tulips complement late spring-blooming roses. Underplant rose bushes with tulips in complementary colors for a stylish spring display that transitions seamlessly into rose season.

If you love both tulips and roses, embracing the best of both worlds by planting rose-like tulips and real roses can give you a beautiful, extended floral display in your spring garden!

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