We’ll soon be heading into Autumn and although the days are shortening and it’s going to get colder and damper, it’s time to think ahead to next spring’s garden because Autumn is spring bulb planting time.
It’s traditional to wait a little longer to plant tulips than other bulbous spring-flowering plants. Daffodils (Narcissus), Crocus and Anemones can be planted from late-September onwards, but tulips should be left until the temperatures really start to drop.
The reason? Well, tulips are particularly susceptible to soil-dwelling viral and fungal diseases. Drops in temperature wipe out many of these organisms leaving your tulip bulbs to happily start putting down roots without fear of infection. So you may feel like you have plenty of time to think about which varieties are going to be staring in your garden next spring, but it's never too early to plan; and it's a good idea to know what you want as all the real show stoppers will be snapped up pretty quickly once they go on sale!
But what to buy? There are 100s if not 1000s of tulip varieties on the market. Different tulips bloom anywhere from April, even late March if the weather conditions are right, through to the end of May. There is also a aesthetically wide range of tulips available, from simple 'Species' tulips, to flamboyantly fringed and 'Parrot' varieties. Whatever tulips you choose, plant in bold groups or swathes through your beds and borders. Mass planting bulbs of any sort looks far more effective than dotting around individual plants. Remember you’re looking for a natural look, not something that’s been overly-planned.
Here are my top-five tulips to help you decide:
Tulipa ‘Spring Green’ - This is a duel coloured tulip which flowers in April/May. I particularly love how the green stem of the plant appears to continue into the flower itself and forms a stripe through it’s ivory coloured petals. This tulip grows to around 45cm in height.
Tulipa ‘Black Parrot’ - As the name suggests, this is a parrot variety and displays the fringed edges to its petals that are typical of this form. T. ‘Black Parrot’ is a dramatic, deep purple colour and stands about 55cm tall, flowering in May.
Tulipa ‘Jan Reus’ - This is a tulip that probably represents what you would draw if asked to sketch ‘a tulip’. It’s neat and elegant, flowering in late April with deep red petals. These look great planted on mass in beds and borders but can look stunning when container grown just on their own.
Tulipa ‘Tarda’ - This tulip is one of the earliest flowering and smallest tulips available. It only grows to about 15cm tall and so is best sited at the front of borders or in pots. If left to naturalise, it’ll form good sized clumps of plants and flower reliably year after year.
Tulipa ‘Green Wave’ - In any list of tulips, we have to include one complete show-off and for this we have to go back to the parrot tulip family. Similarly to T. ‘Spring Green’, T. ’Green Wave’ mixes the greens of it’s stem with its petal colours which this time are pink and white. It initially produces understated round buds in May but then unfurls to display it’s stunning full plumage. Quite a show stopper!
For more advice on how you can create stunning planting schemes that encorporate the wonderful Tulip, please get in touch at enquiries@bluegerbera.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.