Today we are looking at the lovely tulip.
Words to describe tulips could be –
What words would you use to describe this flower?
In the language of flowers, the tulip means –
- Beautiful eyes
- There are over 109 species, with approximately 3,000 different varieties in the tulip family the Liliaceae.
- If you buy tulips as cut flowers, they will continue to grow in a vase.
- The first tulips originated as a wildflower in Central Asia. It was in the 17th century that tulips was introduced to Europe. Tulips were so popular in Holland that some special varieties became very expensive to buy; it could quite easily cost the same as buying a house!
- The Flower Design Institute have provided a useful video on how to care and arrange tulips. Please visit their website for further tips and hints for arranging beautiful displays of flowers.
There are 3 flowering times –
- Early flowering – March – April
- Mid season flowering – April -May
- Late flowering – May
- There are 12 viruses that can affect tulips, causing problems with the flowers and leaves, as well as problems with growth. The RHS provide a useful information page to help you notice symptoms and give advice on how you can help improve the health of your tulips – Tulips Viruses
- This bulbous plant is lovely to see in spring, with its amazing range of colours and patterns at various heights from the tall and elegant, to the striking compact variety.
- Tulips can often be seen in our local parks and roundabout displays as well as a garden favourite.
I have been very fortunate to see the wonderful tulip farms and gardens in Holland when I was a child. It is something I would like to return to and see again, as it left me speechless, admiring the fields of rich colour.
Above 3 images of Tulips and daffodils from Holland, are taken by my Dad from one of our trips.
I have been enjoying various gardens in Dorset and Hampshire admiring this beauty. There are so many different varieties it’s hard to choose a favourite, do you have a favourite?
Tulips can be grown successfully in containers and spring borders. They often provide a sense of structure to a garden border, and mixes well with other plants. I have particularly enjoyed gardens that have concentrated on a green and white colour scheme, with white tulips, daffodils and snowflakes dotted around green foliage. This provides a cool restful scene. An example of this can be seen at Apple Court Gardens in Hampshire, which we will be writing a blog post about our visit very soon.
If you would like to visit a garden to admire this lovely varied flower, the following is a small selection of gardens and farms recommended to see tulips.
- Keukenhof in Holland has some 32 acres of Tulips!
- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival near Seattle in the US
- Woodburn Tulip Festival Oregon US
- Springfield Festival Gardens in Spalding UK
- Pashley Manor Gardens in Sussex have a tulips festival, running from the 23rd April – 3rd May. They have some 23,000 tulips to admire!
- Kew Gardens in Surrey
- The NGS (National Garden Scheme) has a very helpful website detailing gardens under this scheme throughout the UK who grow tulips. To find gardens in your area please visit – Tiptoe through the Tulips
Where to buy Tulips
All garden centres sell tulips, but if you are looking for a specialist grower –
- Blom Bulbs have won 59 gold medals at the prestigious Chelsea flower show.
- Avon Bulbs who have also been awarded 21 gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show.
- Rose Cottage Plants for detailed information on the 80 tulip varieties that they offer, please visit their website
We will also have some tulip designs available for kitchen splashbacks through My Kitchen Store, which we will be announcing soon!
We would love to hear your recommended places to see Tulips so we can share them with our blog readers.