I agree - tulips of any kind really need a good sunny site. The emerging perennials do no harm, as @JennyJ says, but they need plenty of sun while growing/flowering. I grow quite a lot of the species ones as they're reliable, and an early burst of colour, but they don't like shade.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have a lot of English bluebells and, in the civilised garden a few Spanish. I make sure the latter don't seed. I also inherited a few of the hybrids, but so far no new ones. Neither the pure Spanish nor the hybrids spread fast by bulb.
I have a large patch of naturilised wild garlic (ransoms). They can be invasive.
Mine is a sandy soil, but I know of happy snowdrops and garlic on Chiltern clay. Worth continuing to try. Lily of the Valley should be planted in several different spots and left to decide itself which it likes best. When it's really happy it become invasive.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Tulipa sylvatica is probably able to take more shade than most, so would be worth seeking out. Not dense shade though, dappled.
That's interesting @Loxley - I don't think I've grown that one though. All of mine have been in as sunny a site as I could give them, but they did get some shade from early afternoon, due to the timing of their flowering, and the sun being lower in the sky at that time of year. The other trees/houses prevented them getting maximum hours. I grow one which is quite tall - Fusilier. Not to everyone's taste though as it's a real scarlet/orange colour. Very reliable. It will depend on just how severe the shade is @Mrs_Miggins, so you may need to experiment a little bit. You've lost me now @philippasmith2....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Yes, the snakeshead, the native yellow flag Irish,does well,in my north facing clay,it has been improved a good bit, bought and home made compost. The area gets early morning sun,I have a few daffs, yellow and white in there which do ok.
Interesting about the Tulips. I have several clumps here which I inherited - basic single flowered which are just beginning to open. Red ones opening now in a south facing site up against a Hazel tree and yellow ones planted beneath a large Elder and also shaded by a tall Juniper and facing west. The latter will be open in the next couple of weeks. All of them have been here for at least 6 years and I suspect much longer than that. None of them have been fed other than by what naturally drops to the soil but they make a beautiful show despite their age. In the past, I've grown Kaufmanniana and pulchella but these basic ones do me nowadays.
I'd second @Loxley's suggestions of Erythronium 'Pagoda' and Tulipa sylvestris. I think the tulip likes leafy soil really, so improving your clay would be good; the Erythronium seems pretty indestructible in my experience, and flowers well in shade.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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I grow quite a lot of the species ones as they're reliable, and an early burst of colour, but they don't like shade.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have a large patch of naturilised wild garlic (ransoms). They can be invasive.
Mine is a sandy soil, but I know of happy snowdrops and garlic on Chiltern clay. Worth continuing to try. Lily of the Valley should be planted in several different spots and left to decide itself which it likes best. When it's really happy it become invasive.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I grow one which is quite tall - Fusilier. Not to everyone's taste though as it's a real scarlet/orange colour. Very reliable.
It will depend on just how severe the shade is @Mrs_Miggins, so you may need to experiment a little bit.
You've lost me now @philippasmith2....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the past, I've grown Kaufmanniana and pulchella but these basic ones do me nowadays.