The yellow centred, white flowers throw themselves wide open, appearing like starshaped fried eggs! This is another excellent tulip for naturalising. Tulipa tarda, the Late Tulip, come from central Asia and are at their best from the end of April to early May. Although “bijou” at only ten cm tall, each flowering stem has up to six perfumed flowers. They are held on very short stems, and are deep yellow, edged in white. The strappy, glossy leaves have a red edge. This is a perfect rock garden plant and works well in containers or at the front of a sunny border. It is an easy tulip to grow and is equally easy on the eye! Another diminuative species is Tulipa humilis, sometimes known as Tulipa pulchella. Humilis means low growing and, although a little larger than T. tarda, this little chap only reaches 15cm in height. Its homelands cover parts of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. The star-shaped flowers can be variable in colour, from pale purple to mauve red, all with a yellow centre. It is a very early flowerer, if you are lucky this could begin in February, but is more likely to be March to early April. There are several worthy cultivars including T. humilis ‘Lilliput’, which is crimson with a violet base, and the tongue-twisting Tulipa humilis var. pulchella Albocaerulea Oculata Group which has white flowers with an indigo centre and midnight black stamen. Another rockery must have! The lady tulip, Tulipa clusiana, is named after Carolus Clusius, a Flemish botanist, and is found from Iran to the Himalayas and Tibet. The flowers, which appear in April, can reach 40cm tall. The white buds have broad, vertical candy stripes. These open to reveal star-shaped white flowers with a deep purple centre. Again cultivars are readily available including the elegant rose and white flowered ‘Lady Jane’ and T. clusiana var. chrysantha which has stunning sunshine yellow flowers, russet on the outside. Tulipa sprengeri, the Sprenger tulip is the last to bloom, waiting until the end of May to begin flowering and continuing until early summer. And it is definitely worth the wait. Goblet shaped flowers are deep red both inside and out, standing up to 50cm tall and held above slim, elegant leaves. If semi-shade is all you have then this is the one to try. Unfortunately it is thought to be extinct in its native Turkey, all the more reason to appreciate its ruddy blooms with golden anthers. Care of these tulips is not difficult. If conditions are right, the ground well drained
and the bulbs are planted deeply, you can leave them in the soil to bulk up. If you must dig them up, first ripen them in a greenhouse for a few weeks and store away safe from rodents, in dry cool conditions. If they are left in situ, in late winter apply a fertiliser high in potash to encourage flowering. In the spring, as they are emerging, be vigilant for the onslaught of slugs and snails. Hopefully this will be the extent of your worries, however one year a deer systematically bit the heads off every emerging tulip in the garden I was tending! Species tulips may look more delicate than the big blousy hybrids, but their appearance belies the truth. If planted in the right place they are far more likely to return year after year, eventually increasing your display. They are long flowering and often fragrant. And they are undoubtedly extraordinarily beautiful. Surely you can’t say fairer than that?
Top: Tulipa turkestanica, the Turkestan tulip Bottom Right: Tulipa humilis var. pulchella Albocaerulea Oculata Group Bottom Left: Tulipa sylvestris, or the ‘wild tulip’
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