I can't say much about tulips, only a bit about daffodils. Carlton is wonderful, the longest flowering daffy in my garden, and Old House Garden lists it for zones spanning from 3a to 9a so I think it's definitely worth trying. I've also seen Erlicheer (double) and Geranium (tazetta, probably my favorite) reported as reliable in warmer zones. I see this confirmed in a handy chart from OHG where quite a few more daffodils are listed for your zone:

https://oldhousegardens.com/display/?chart=Daffodil

Many of these heirlooms are also offered at other mail order bulb nurseries. Hope you find some suitable tulips as well. Good luck!

When I lived-in NE Texas zone 8a the wild (species) tulips were the only ones that would survive and bloom as perennials. T. clusiana, saxatillis, and sylvestnis are ones that I dug up and brought with me to South Texas and still are thriving.

All of the jonquillas I tried did exceptionally well, self sowed and multiplied vigorously in EastTexas just west of Shreveport. Gran Primo and Double Campernelle are two that are doing well for me all the way down here near the Mexican border where I garden now.

Thanks for your input! I look at tulips as annuals also - like foxgloves. Beautiful in their season, will repurchase the next year. I want to try Apricot Beauty and some lavender.

Species tulips are probably your best bet for reliable perennial traits...and the selection available in commerce has increased considerably. The lady tulips, t.chrysantha, as well as t.linifolia and t.batalini are amongst the tallest, at around 12-14inches...while the smaller t.humilis, t.saxatilis, t.orphanidea are dainty 4-6inch jewels. For scarlets and oranges - t.hageana, t.whitallii and the amazing t.vvedenskya and then there are the aristocrats of the group - the lovely, and latest blooming t.sprengeri and the startling t. humilus albo-coerulea. If you are prepared to wait for 3 years, most of the species tulips are easy and reliable from seed - indeed, this is the only way to get your hands on the beautiful sprengeri as the bulbs are tiny and will pull themselves deep into the soil so difficult in commerce. Sprengeri will also grow in a degree of dry shade, glowing in late May.

There is a particularly beautiful t.batalinii commonly available with the same colouration as Apricot beauty and the added advantage of lovely glaucous foliage - t.batalini Bronze Charm

We have a home in east TX and have planted several daffie cultivars, only to find Carlton and paperwhites (tazetta daffies) as truly perennial. I have never planted tulips. In my Houston Home I have dbl campernelle, Carlton, tazettas, erlicheer, grand Primo, pipit and they do well. I spent $$$ on ones that were supposed to be good for z9 but only the above mentioned have returned and naturalized.

I guess I misread original post. If you buy prechilled tulip and daffie bulbs, they have better than 80% chance of putting a beautiful show for you ONCE. If you are talking about tulip bulbs that come back year after year—Then none. They would make expensive annuals for me so I dont consider them. But for a one time show, just about any of them will do great for you.

Yes, all I am looking for is a one time show; I know better than to expect another year out of tulips! Like foxgloves, delphiniums....to be enjoyed in spring and that's it. But - just like the magnificent wisteria, redbud, Chinese fringe trees etc. that bloom only in spring, I don't mind replanting for the beauty, though it is fleeting. In addition to planting in the ground, would it work to plant the tulip bulbs in pots, set them aside and keep watered and plant the pot either in the ground or in bigger pots? Then when they are finished blooming, just take the pot out and toss the bulbs. Thanks for the help!

I’ll defer to others since I don’t grow tulips

Planting in pots is probably the easiest and most reliable if you want to treat them as annuals. Florists do it all the time. Plant more shallowly than in the ground- 2" soil over the tip of the bulb is plenty. Here the night air temperature is a lot lower than the soil temperature so I wouldn't put the pots in the ground. Place the pots in the shade so the sun won't heat them up during the day. They don't need or want any direct sun if you aren't going to try treating them as periennials.

My wife is kinda crazy about the rich pink "Elizabeth Arden" so she starts planting a few pots at a time about the first of November and two weeks apart into January to stagger the flowering time . The January planted ones fail or the buds blast about half the time. The parrots and fancy petaled kind she's tried have never succeeded here. I think they take too long to flower?

They may be like daffs in the the earliest flowering varieties are most likely to succeed in warm climates.

Good Luck!

Bluestone perennials and Tulips.com have now started their sales :)

Ice Follies and Pink Charm daffodils have naturalized here (warm end of zone 9).