Most of us know the song, `Tulips from Amsterdam` and to be sure Tulips are the unofficial emblem of the Netherlands. Tulips are, however, the official flower of Iran and Turkey.

Tulip (Tulipa) is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Liliaceae. They are native to southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran (where the flower is suggested on the nation's flag) east to northeast China and Japan. The centre of diversity of the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

They are perennial bulbous plants growing to 10–70 centimetres (4–27 in) tall, with a small number of strap-shaped, waxy-textured, usually glaucous green leaves and large flowers with six tepals. The fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous flat disc-shaped seeds.

Aren't tulips require a lot of work?

I hear people removing them and then planting them back after resting them in the fridge.

What kind of soil they require?

Libertate Wrote:Aren't tulips require a lot of work?

I hear people removing them and then planting them back after resting them in the fridge.

What kind of soil they require?

One of the most important consideration when planting tulips is drainage. Tulips prefer a sandy, well-drained soil. If your soil is wet and/or very heavy, add compost and peat moss. You can also mound the soil up into a raised bed, which will help the soil dry out and will also help raise the temperature of the soil. For everywhere else, choose a full-sun location with well-drained soil for best performance. Cultivate the soil to a depth of one foot and work in some bulb fertilizer. :wink:

Colourful foliage

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

Double-flowered varieties

* 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 are silvery pink flushed with a deeper pink and appear in mid-April. This is a popular choice for spring bedding, but the bulbs are usually dug up in summer.


Estella Rijnveld

Unusual blooms

* 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 the star-shaped blooms appearing between late February and early March. The flowers are white with bright yellow centres and are very fragrant. It is a vigorous species tulip native to central Asia and thrives in a hot, sunny rock garden or naturalised in a gravel bed.
* T.acuminata: this is a distinctive species, with very fine, narrow petals that look almost torn. They are red at the tips and pale yellow at the base. They suit alpine displays or rock gardens.
* T. clusiana: also known as the Lady Tulip, this diminutive bulb flowers in mid-spring. The blooms comprise petals that are white with white and deep pink striped petals on the outside.