Tulipa ‘Dordogne’ produces large, peach-apricot colored flowers on tall stems near the end of tulip season (historically near the end of May in the Chicago area). Tulips, for annual displays, can be planted just about anywhere; however, for naturalizing, a position in full sun with well-drained soils that tend to the dry side after mid-June is best. The Dutch, consummate tulip growers, leave the green flowering stalk on the plant until it goes dormant to gain every ounce of energy for the following year’s flower. To dissuade gophers and voles (voles eat worms, not bulbs), interplant with narcissus, snowdrops, ornamental onions, or crown imperial fritillaries. Tulip species are almost all native to the higher elevation mountains in Central Asia, with a few outliers as far east as the mountains of North Africa. The generic name derives from the Turkish "turbend" (turban), which they somewhat resemble. The earliest known cultivation of tulips dates back to the thirteenth century in Persia. In the sixteenth century in Turkey, more than 1,300 cultivars were described and grown in gardens.