Tulips Tulips are one of the bulbs we automatically associate with spring. The recognisable flower shape and often intense colouring provide a vibrant display. They're a loud, proud reminder that winter is over.

In this article

Recommended varieties Early- to mid-spring flowering Late spring flowering Early summer

Colourful foliage Double-flowered varieties Unusual blooms Growing tips

Problems Where to see them Find out more

Given the wide range of colours available, tulips are often useful for formal displays in public places. They make a real impact when planted in large numbers. Densely planted, single-colour displays intensify the effect of the flowers' colour and shape.

Tulips can also be effective when planted in smaller groups, and work well in containers. And, beloved of florists, the make a wonderful display as cut flowers.

With their strap-like leaves and sturdy, upright stems bearing colourful flowers, the tulip family is very distinctive. There are hundreds of cultivars and varieties to choose from. These range from single to double blooms through to frilled and peony types. And if you're planning a display there are varieties that flower from early spring to mid-May.

• Tulip 'Prinses Irene': the single flowers are reddish orange and lighter at the tips of the rounded petals, with directional dark-red markings. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has given the variety its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM) - for plants of outstanding excellence.
• T.'Yokohama': a spring-bright, sunshine-yellow tulip, with single blooms and slightly pointed petals.
• T.'Oranje Nassau': an open flower with a soft, wavy edge.
• T.'Purissima': this white, smooth-cupped flower belongs to the Fosteriana group of tulips. An easy-to-grow variety, it's been given the AGM, too.

• T.' White Dream': a pure white, cup-shaped, single-flowering variety.
• T.'Don Quichotte': single, cyclamen-pink flowers with grey-green leaves - very long-lasting flowers both as bedding and when cut.
• T.'Maytime': this rich crimson, lily-flowered tulip has elegant, tapered petals that open out slightly. It's a particularly sturdy variety, despite its delicate appearance, and can be planted out for permanent, formal displays, or in containers.
• T.'Dreamland': this rose-red, single-flowering variety has paler, greenish-white colouring at the base of the petals.

• T.'Queen of Night': with its dark maroon colouring bringing out the satiny sheen of the petals, this is one of the darkest tulip varieties. It makes a dramatic display in May.

• T.'Red Riding Hood': the leaves are broad and streaked with maroon marbled markings. The flowers - large, cup-shaped and brilliant pillar-box red - appear in early April. This is a Gregii-type tulip, renowned for being particularly robust. The RHS has given it the prestigious AGM.
• T.'Unicum': the cream-edged foliage offsets the brilliant splash of the vivid red blooms which appear in early April. This is a dwarf tulip, suitable for rock gardens.
• T.'Dream Boat': the orangey blooms are tinted red - the leaves blue-grey and delicately marked with reddish flecks. A dwarf variety growing to 20cm (8in), it suits borders or containers.

• T.'Angélique': with bowl-shaped open, double flowers in late spring, the pale pink, frothy flowers resemble peonies, streaked with paler yellow and green markings.
• T.'Peach Blossom': the flowers - silvery pink, flushed with deeper pink - appear in mid-April. This is a popular choice for spring bedding, but the bulbs are usually dug up in summer.

• T.'Estella Rijnveld': parrot tulips are blowsy blooms in rich colours, with shaggy, frilled, wavy petals. They make for an extravagant display, particularly when planted en masse. This particular variety has red flowers with white splashes.
• T.turkestanica: this is a very early flowering variety, with star-shaped blooms appearing between late February and early March. The flowers are white with bright yellow centres, and very fragrant. It's a vigorous species native to central Asia - thriving in a hot, sunny rock garden or naturalised in a gravel bed.
• T.acuminata: this distinctive species has very fine, narrow petals that look almost torn. They're red at the tips and pale yellow at the base, suiting alpine displays or rock gardens.
• T. clusiana: also known as the Lady Tulip, this diminutive bulb flowers in mid-spring. The blooms comprise white petals with white and deep pink-striped petals on the outside.

The botanical origins of tulips point to the bulbs' growing requirements. Although traditionally associated with the Netherlands, tulips originate from Turkey and western and central Europe. The bulbs grow best in fertile, sandy soil in a sunny, open location. They should be protected from excessive moisture and strong winds.

Traditionally, it was always said that bulbs should be planted in the autumn, before the first frosts. Nowadays, many disregard this rule. Chris Blom, of Blom's Bulbs, whose family has been growing tulips since 1910, says: "Tulips don't like to be planted too early." He's planted bulbs as late as January, but would recommend up until the end of November, adding that tulips need cold weather to root.

If you're growing tulips in containers, Chris warns: "Don't forget to water during early spring when you might get dry, warm weather. Otherwise, the bulbs will dry out."

After flowering, most varieties benefit from being lifted and stored in a dry place until autumn. Other varieties, particularly the Kaufmanniana hybrids and species tulips, can be left in the ground, and may spread to colonise an area.

• Plant bulbs 10cm (4in) deep and 10cm (4in) apart.
• Water bulbs when the buds are rising, to encourage large blooms and taller stems.
• Top-dress bulbs in autumn, after planting.
• For long-term tulip displays, wait until the foliage has died off before cutting back.
• Beware of slugs - they love tulips!

Tulip grey bulb rot

Symptoms: bulbs fail to emerge above ground, or produce severely distorted shoots which then wither and die off. Below ground, the bulbs turn grey and dry as they rot away to leave only the roots and basal plate.

Cause: the fungus Rhizoctonia tuliparum, which attacks many different types of bulbs as well as tulips.

Cure: remove and burn infected plants and the surrounding soil. Don't plant other bulbs in the same spot for at least five years.

Tulip fire

Symptoms: withered, distorted foliage with pale coloured flecks or a scorched appearance. A fuzzy mould will follow. Plants often fail to mature or flower. If flowers do open, petals will show bleached spots, while flower stems will be weak and prone to collapse. The bulbs may also rot or show signs of fungal sclerotia.

Cause: the fungus Botrytis tulipae. This overwinters in the soil on infected bulbs. It's spread by air or water splash.

Control: remove affected foliage immediately and dispose of severely infected plants and the surrounding soil. Don't plant tulips in the same area for more than two years in a row, to discourage the build up of any disease. If the disease has been identified, don't plant tulips for at least three years.

Plant late to discourage the disease from developing. Lift bulbs at the end of the season and dust with antifungal sulphure, or dip in carbendazim.

For more information about this disease, see our Identify the problem

The National Collection of English Florist Tulip Cultivars, as designated by the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is held by John Snocken:

Cleeway, Eardington
Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 5JT
Tel: 01746 766909 for opening times

If you want to see species tulips and primary cultivars, visit the NCCPG National Collection at:

Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Cory Lodge, Bateman Street
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 1JF
Tel: 01223 336265
Website: www.botanic.cam.ac.uk

To witness the colourful potential of mass tulip displays, see the work of Sandra and Nori Pope:

Hadspen Garden and Nursery
Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7NG
Tel: 01963 351856

At Abbey House Gardens in Wiltshire, 45,000 tulips bring some early colour to the rose beds in spring.

Abbey House Gardens
Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9AS
Tel: 01666 822212
Email: info@abbeyhousegardens.co.uk
Website: www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk

If you want to see how the Dutch grow tulips, head for Keukenhof www.keukenhof.com, where from March to May about 6 million tulips bloom. Since 1949, this has been the showcase for Dutch bulb growers. The display is set among sculpture exhibitions and other permanent garden displays.

The Tulip, by Anna Pavord (ISBN: 0747546215) - an account of the history of the tulip, from its Turkish origins, via the tulipomania craze in 17th-century Holland, to the Wakefield Tulip Society today.
Daffodils and Tulips, by MS Bradbury (ISBN: 1902896041) - a grower's guide.