Plant some with your snowdrops, whose blooms precede those of the red tulips in spring.
Like daffodils, squill, grape hyacinth, hyacinth, allium and crocus, tulips are spring bulbs. All the bulbs in this group should be planted in the ground in autumn (zones 2-8), about a month before the soil starts to freeze. That means planting in September for zones 2-3; October in zones 4-5; November in zones 6-7; and December in zone 8. Spring-blooming bulbs have a chilling requirement, and the ensuing cold weather is critical to their development. Also critical to success in growing tulips is good drainage in your soil.