On one morning’s cursory stroll of the gardens in early spring, ten yellow tulips were in bloom untouched by my deer and pregnant rabbit enemies. I was ecstatic! I hadn’t seen tulips in over twenty years!

The tulips arrived unannounced. Nestled in the roots of an old Mediland rose, they looked cozy and at home. They gracefully bowed their delicate yellow heads on fine tulip stems. No hybrid tulips march in rows through my garden; these flowers suited my hodge-podge garden style.



I had the flower identified at the Chicago Botanic Garden, as Tulipa sylvestris, tulip of the woods, a species tulip, that grows in half shade, It was first described in 1753 so it’s been around for a long time, spreading from Russia to Europe and naturalized freely at Monticello. Maybe I’m the only one who never heard of it.

I‘d like to keep the plants under a young redbud tree where they are located, but I’m afraid they may wander over winter. The first young flower appeared a dozen feet away in a blue scilla bed, unnoticed because its foliage looked like that of the scillas.

I find myself humming that old romance tune “Strangers in the Night exchanging glances” when I go out to see if they are still there. Some little creature is doing more than exchanging glances while I sleep.

Woodland tulips are listed under species tulips in McClure and Zimmerman  and Brent and Becky’s Bulb catalogs.

—Adele Kleine