Tulipa - Lifting the Spirit of the garden!

Jewel-coloured flowers burst into life in spring. Whether forming stately processions across a border or ornamenting a bed in vivid patches, the presence of tulips in the garden lifts the spirits!

Since their introduction from Turkey 400 years ago, tulips have been one of the most popular and rewarding bulbs for late Spring displays. They are grown for their elegant flowers which are available in nearly every conceivable colour except true blue.

The six-petalled flowers are generally cup or goblet shaped - although some may be rather starry - and mature blooms tend to open so wide in the sun that they are almost flat. Each erect stem normally carries a single flower but some varieties bear two or three flowers per stem. There are usually two or more lance-shaped basal leaves and smaller stem leaves which are often greyish green. The bulbs, which vary greatly in size, have a pointed tip and a brownish skin.

The genus as a whole is very varied, from the tiny mountain species suitable for the rock garden or greenhouse, through to the gaudy modern hybrids that are planted in huge beds in public parks and gardens. Around 100 species of tulip are known, mostly from west and central Asia, and there are thousands of garden hybrids that have been developed over the years.

The small species tulips are best planted in clumps towards the front of a border and they make colourful rock garden residents.

The tulip index is very large so we have decided to document this on a separate post.

The large flowered hybrids can be used for general garden display either in formal beds - planted with forget-me-nots (Myosotis) or wallflowers (Erysimum) - or in clumps planted among herbaceous plants. Tulips can also be grown in containers for display on a patio or terrace.

All require a heavy loam soil that is nevertheless free-draining and a warm, dry summer dormant period to ripen the bulb. It is normal practice to lift the bulbs of the modern hybrids as the leaves fade and store them until replanting in autumn.

If you want tulips left in the ground so that they form large patches the following tulips are the recommended species:
Tulip Saxatalis
Tulip Sprengeri
Tulip Sylvestris

We have just recently planted tulips in a border bed alongside a Camellia, when we have updated photos of this shooting we will post the images here.

A little Tulip Tip!
If you want to keep the bulb for planting next season, pull the Tulip bulb from the ground (after it has flowered, of course!), leaving the leaves on the bulb - place in a plastic container (doesn't need to have a lid), wait for the leaves to die before cutting them off - this will nourish the bulb, ready for next season ;)