The story behind our favourite spring bulb is one of exploration, speculation and mad obsession.
They came to us along the Silk Road, from the high passes and rocky slopes of Turkey and Afghanistan, transforming on the way from small, wild blooms into a sought-after symbol of sophistication and wealth.
Fortunes have been made and lost on their trade; books have been written about them; societies founded to celebrate them and the great Flemish artists immortalised them, unknowingly capturing on canvas the beauty of those early varieties with a genetic signature so unstable that their stripes and colour-breaks would eventually weaken the bulbs for which so much money had changed hands.
Tulip Fever, the obsession that gripped collectors in 17th century Holland, didn’t disappear when the market for bulbs collapsed. It still exists today and for lovers of the flower, autumn remains an exquisite agony as decisions over what to plant for next year’s tulip-season are made.
Choose well and you could have tulips in flower from March until the end of May, creating ribbons of pure colour amongst emerging perennials; standing tall in containers in the sleek livery of lily-flowered varieties, or erupting in the decadent ruffles of the flamboyant ‘parrots’.
With more than 3,000 varieties available, it is no wonder that gardeners feel overwhelmed when faced with choosing which to grow. Our guide will help you decide.
BEST FOR SCENT
It still comes a surprise to discover that some tulips are scented. Most of those which are fragrant have orange flowers and they include some of the best and most reliable bulbs.
‘Ballerina’ - This lily-flowered variety has a beautiful scent. April-May. H 60cm.
‘Brown Sugar’ - The name suggests a sweet smell, and that’s exactly what ‘Brown Sugar’ delivers. April. H 60cm
‘Brazil’ - With its double flowers and lovely perfume, this tulip earns its place in the garden. April-May. 60cm.
BEST FOR STRIPES
If you like your tulips in full dress uniform, ready for parade, then stripes are essential.
‘Carnaval de Rio’- Tall and statuesque, with eye catching red stripes on a white background, this is a long-lasting tulip. April-May. H 60cm.
'Zurel’- The deep purple stripes on a white background make ‘Zurel’ highly unusual. April-May. H. 40cm.
‘Zelmar’ - Red flashes on primrose yellow are bright and cheerful and will stand out amongst the other stars of the spring garden. April-May. H 55cm.
BEST FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS
There’s a remarkable variety of form amongst tulips and some can even deliver a few surprises.
‘Pretty Princess’ - Worth growing simply for its variegated foliage, but then the pink petals open and they look as if they are lit from the inside. April-May. H 35cm.
‘Acuminata’ - Its spiky, tapering petals, in shades of flaming red or orange, make this heritage tulip appear like tongues of fire. April-May. H.40cm.
‘Doll’s Minuet’ - As it opens in response to the sun, the pink, green and purple colours seem to intensify throughout the day. April-May. H 65.
BEST FOR EARLY FLOWERS
If you can’t wait for the main show to get going, plant a few of these and you’ll have tulips while the daffodils are attempting to steal the show.
‘Purissima’ - The flowers open pristine white, like laundry on a washing line, then fade to lemon as they age. April. H 45cm.
‘Exotic Emperor’ - Another white tulip, this time with double petals streaked with green. April. H 35cm.
‘Orange Emperor’ - This puts on an early show of rich, orange flowers that zing against the lime shades of spring foliage. March. H45cm.
BEST FOR BLACK
Dark tulips are highly-fashionable and they don’t come any deeper and more mysterious than these.
‘Queen of Night’- A hugely-popular tulip, and with good reason. Its cup-shaped flowers, held on tall stems, are as dark as midnight. April - May. H 60cm.
‘Black Hero’ - The petals of these double blooms are dark and glossy. April-May. H 60cm.
‘Black Parrot’ - Glamorous and flamboyant, the intense shade of the ruffled petals seems to absorb the light. April - May. H 45cm.
HOW TO GROW
Tulips bought fresh in autumn come packed with all the ingredients essential for healthy growth. To get the best out of them, plant deeply - 20cm (8”) - at least.
They like free-draining soil in a sunny position and will struggle in clay, so if you have heavy soil plant your tulips in containers using compost to which lots of grit has been added or place a good layer of grit beneath bulbs growing in the ground.
Squirrels and mice will seek out the bulbs, so if this is a problem, containers again are the answer. Just remember to net the tops with chicken wire.
Plant tulips from October until Christmas, by which time frost should have killed off any tulip blight spores that may be lurking in the soil.
Some tulips are more perennial than others and will continue flowering for years. Others are not so reliable, but you can help them all to keep going by leaving the foliage to die down after flowering and applying regular liquid feeds to help the bulbs regain their strength.
In cold areas, or where the soil is heavy, the bulbs should be lifted and dried off in summer and stored for replanting in the autumn.
PLANTING PARTNERS
What should you plant to show off your tulips at their best? Obsessive growers will always say ‘more tulips’, but if you like your bulbs to grow against a backdrop of different flowers and foliage then there are some combinations which are guaranteed to be successful.
Wallflowers - These sweet-scented biennials come in rich colours that work beautifully with tulips. Choose tulips that are just slightly taller than the wallflowers and their goblets will appear to float above them.
Forget-me-nots - The clear blue flowers of forget-me-not are the perfect foil for tulips of either pale pink or primrose yellow. Planted together they capture the essence of spring.
Euphorbias - Both the large, shrubby varieties and the smaller, herbaceous kinds have lime-green foliage that could have been designed with tulips in mind. Grow them together for fresh, zingy effect.
Bleeding heart - Viridiflora tulips, which have green markings on their outer petals, do better than most tulips in semi-shade. Here you can grow them amongst the feathery foliage and pink or white lockets of the bleeding heart plant Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis.)
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