Tulips that come back?

I wonder what peoples' experiences are with repeat flowering tulips, and which varieties reliably come back?

I read mixed opinions with regards to this. Some say the species tulips live longer. Some say its more to do with the soil than the tulip variety.

I have some red ones (Darwin I think) that flower every year, along with some frilly Parrot ones that reliably come back.

I'm all for low maintenance. I like to plant and leave, rather than dig up and store, or make planting a necessary annual job.

 

JParker's Tulipa reducedtoclear comes back every year in neat bags In my clay soil these guys are annual so cheapies it is.

I'm trialling (again) small botanical tulips on a south facing slight slope, sitting on a sand bed... fingers crossed.

 

I have Tulip "Queen of the Night" and "White Triumphator" that come up regularly in the front garden, but never in exactly the same place and not as large as the first year (decades ago). Queen of Sheba hung around for a few years and then disappeared.
I had a number of species tulips in a sunny well drained bed for quite a long time, but they disappeared after a very wet autumn/winter a few years ago.
Tulipa saxatilis does quite well from year to year, but again wanders about a bit.

 

I've had some that have been coming back for over 40 yrs, not sure what they are but they do multiply, red and yellow.

 

Lily flowered tulips like Ballerina repeat flower in my sandy soil, even the ones that I thought I had dug up .

 

I have found queen of the night is pretty reliably perennial, as are a few old fashioned red darwins. Otherwise only the species and kaufmannias hybrids hang on.

 

I planted 5 Tulipa 'Apeldoorn' about 10 or 11 years ago, very deep. Classic bright scarlet tulips. They got better, and more, every year until last year when there were still 30+ blooms but they were smaller - I think there were just too many in quite a small area. So I dug them up, got about 25 big bulbs and dozens of smaller ones. Replanted most of the bigger ones over a slightly larger area, this is a few of them just getting their colour today. They are very perennial!

Others that have come back reliably are Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' - gorgeous, but I've only had them 5 or 6 years. T. 'Queen of Night' return too, but are slowly reducing.

 

I have a number of clumps of tulips which come back most years, mostly Pink Parrot and Black Parrot in the front garden. There are others in the back garden but I've forgotten the names unfortunately.
We have clay soil which is on a slope which probably helps with drainage.

I also prefer just to plant and leave bulbs, can't be doing with faffing about.

 

Queen of the Night seems to be the consensus here. I've got a few red ones that keep coming back year after year but honestly couldn't tell you what variety they are anymore, the labels vanished ages ago. The red ones always seem the most stubborn about returning which suits me fine.