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When tulip ‘Akebono’ first starts blooming, there’s not much to oooo and ahhh about. The green sepals are very pronounced at first and it gives the flowers a bit of a sickly-green glow.
But within a day or two, the color starts to change just a little bit and the petals and sepals get a tiny red edge:
In another day or two the color becomes much richer:
But it’s not until the flowers open fully that you get to see the beautifully-transformed double and semi-double blooms:
‘Akebono’ grows 20 to 22 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 3-8. My bulbs have produced a beautiful display of flowers every spring for four years so far.