What they’re like: Slender and lovely, Lady, or Candy, tulips are pale yellow or white inside, red to magenta outside; they grow 6 to 9 inches tall.

Our favorites: Blossoms of Tulipa clusiana chrysantha (pictured) are rose carmine on the outside and bright yellow inside. Or for yellow star-shaped flowers with white tips, try T. tarda.

How to display: For a big show next spring, plant three dozen bulbs 2 inches deep in a shallow, 15-inch-wide terra-cotta container. These tulips grow anywhere and usually come back year after year even in mild-winter climates.