Tarda Species Tulip: A Little Star From Central Asia

 

The great hybrid tulips command attention by standing tall. Tulipa tarda takes almost the opposite approach.

Growing only a few inches above the ground, this little species tulip produces clusters of star-shaped flowers that are bright golden yellow in the center and broadly tipped with white. When sunshine opens a colony of them, the effect is rather like scattering dozens of little yellow-and-white stars across the spring garden.

It is small, tough, cheerful and remarkably willing to remain in the garden year after year.

For gardeners who would rather plant a tulip once than conduct an annual bulb-replacement campaign, Tulipa tarda deserves attention.

A True Species Tulip

Unlike ‘Oxford’, ‘Pink Impression’ and the thousands of other named garden hybrids, Tulipa tarda is a botanical species.

That distinction matters.

Species tulips are wild tulips—or selections very close to them—rather than the products of generations of breeding for enormous flowers, unusual colors and exhibition form.

Consequently, they often look quite different from the familiar Dutch tulip.

Tulipa tarda is low-growing, usually reaching only about 4 to 6 inches tall. Instead of producing one enormous goblet on a tall stem, a bulb can produce several flowers, creating a small bouquet just above the foliage.

The flowers themselves are pointed and star-like when fully open.

Where Does Tulipa tarda Come From?

Tulipa tarda comes from Central Asia, the ancestral heartland of many tulips.

Kew's Plants of the World Online currently recognizes it as native to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and northwestern Iran and describes it as a bulbous plant of the temperate biome.

Its association with Central Asia is important because this is the great natural homeland of tulips.

Long before Holland became synonymous with them, wild tulips were flowering across the mountains, steppes and rocky slopes of Central and western Asia.

The ancestors of the enormous tulips in our modern gardens ultimately came from this much harsher world.

A Plant Made for Mountains and Dry Summers

The natural conditions of species tulips also explain how they should be treated in gardens.

Tulips generally appreciate cool conditions and moisture during their active spring growth followed by warmer, drier conditions during summer dormancy. Free drainage is particularly important.

That is why species tulips are so often successful in rock gardens, gravel gardens and raised beds.

A dormant tulip bulb doesn't mind being dry.

Sitting in warm, waterlogged soil all summer is another matter.

The RHS recommends fertile, humus-rich but well-drained soil for T. tarda and warns against excessive wet.

When Was Tulipa tarda Introduced?

Here we need to distinguish between introduction to horticulture and formal botanical description.

The name Tulipa tarda Stapf was formally published in 1933 in the Botanical Magazine, volume 156, plate 9321. The botanist responsible was Otto Stapf, an Austrian-born botanist who spent much of his distinguished career at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

There is a little taxonomic wrinkle, however.

Stapf had described a closely related plant as Tulipa urumiensis in 1932. Modern taxonomic authorities now treat that name as a synonym of Tulipa tarda. Kew accepts T. tarda as the correct name and lists T. urumiensis among its synonyms.

So the safest historical statement is that Otto Stapf formally described Tulipa tarda in 1933.

That is more precise than saying that he "introduced" it in 1933, since the plant may have been present in European collections before its formal botanical publication.

Why Is It Called Tarda?

The specific epithet tarda comes from Latin and means “late,” “slow” or “tardy.”

In botanical names, tardus and its feminine form tarda generally refer to something occurring comparatively late.

The name is therefore usually understood as a reference to the plant's comparatively late flowering in relation to certain other small species tulips.

There is a certain irony here for gardeners, because Tulipa tarda still flowers during spring and is often described horticulturally as an early- to mid-spring bloomer.

Apparently even a tardy tulip keeps better time than some people.

Flowers Like Little Stars

The flower is what makes Tulipa tarda instantly recognizable.

When closed, the blossoms are fairly modest. Their outer surfaces may show green and reddish coloring, giving little indication of what will happen when the sun appears.

Then they open.

The six pointed tepals spread almost flat, forming a star with a brilliant yellow center surrounded by broad white tips. RHS Plants describes the flowers as white-tipped yellow, often with red and green flushing on the reverse.

A mature clump can carry numerous flowers simultaneously.

Because the plants are so low, the effect is not one of towering color but of a carpet of stars lying close to the earth.

Sunshine Makes All the Difference

Like many species tulips, Tulipa tarda responds dramatically to sunlight.

The flowers open widely in bright conditions and may close considerably when the weather is cool or cloudy.

That makes placement important.

Give this tulip plenty of sunshine if you want to see it at its best. The RHS notes that specialist tulips generally prefer sunny positions and that their flowers may fail to open fully in shade.

This is not a plant for a gloomy corner beneath an evergreen hedge.

One of the Best Tulips for a Rock Garden

If you have a rock garden, Tulipa tarda is almost tailor-made for it.

Its diminutive proportions look natural among stones, and the sharply drained soil commonly provided for rock-garden plants suits the bulb.

Plant bulbs in irregular groups rather than rows.

A dozen emerging from pockets between stones can look as though they simply appeared there on their own.

Twenty-five or fifty can eventually create a substantial colony.

The object should be to suggest nature rather than a municipal flower bed.

Excellent Along Walkways

Because Tulipa tarda is so short, plant it where you can actually see it.

The front edge of a border or alongside a walkway is ideal.

The RHS specifically recommends it for rock gardens, edging, beds, borders, containers and cottage gardens.

Along a path, the little flowers can be appreciated at close range, including the reddish and green markings on the backs of the petals that are easily missed from a distance.

It is a plant that rewards bending down for a closer look.

Let It Naturalize

This may be the greatest advantage of Tulipa tarda.

It is one of the tulips capable of naturalizing and increasing in favorable garden conditions.

RHS Plants specifically notes that T. tarda does not need to be lifted annually and can naturalize when planted in open ground. More generally, the RHS notes that specialist or species tulips are much more likely than ordinary border tulips to reflower and multiply.

That makes T. tarda fundamentally different from many modern hybrid tulips.

With a highly bred bedding tulip, the first year's display may be magnificent and subsequent years disappointing.

With Tulipa tarda, a modest initial planting can become better with age.

Now there's a refreshing concept.

Use It in Gravel Gardens

A sunny gravel garden provides another excellent home.

The drainage suits the bulbs, while the low-growing flowers appear naturally at home among gravel and stones.

Plant them among restrained, drought-tolerant perennials that won't smother the tulips during spring.

Low sedums, creeping thyme and other compact plants can make good neighbors, provided there remains enough open ground for the tulips to emerge.

As summer approaches, the tulip foliage disappears and the summer plants take over.

Try It in Containers

Small species tulips are also excellent for pots, troughs and containers.

T. tarda is particularly useful because its flowers can be brought closer to eye level, where their markings become much easier to appreciate.

Use a free-draining potting mixture and plant enough bulbs to create a generous display.

With bulbs this small, excessive restraint accomplishes very little.

A pot containing three bulbs looks economical.

A pot containing twenty looks like spring.

What Should You Plant With It?

Because Tulipa tarda combines yellow and white, it mixes easily with other early spring flowers.

Blue is perhaps the most obvious companion.

Grape hyacinths (Muscari) provide a low carpet of blue beneath the yellow-and-white stars. Small blue violas can accomplish something similar.

Dwarf daffodils also work beautifully, especially cultivars whose flowers are proportionate to the little tulips.

Small species crocuses can provide an earlier layer of bloom, while low-growing spring perennials can continue the display after the tulips finish.

The important consideration is scale.

Don't surround a six-inch species tulip with enormous plants and then wonder where it went.

Naturalistic Planting Suits It Best

Although T. tarda can certainly be used in formal beds, its character lends itself especially well to naturalistic planting.

Rather than spacing every bulb exactly six inches from its neighbor, plant little groups.

Five here.

Nine there.

Perhaps fifteen around a stone.

Allow spaces between the groups, and let them gradually expand.

The result eventually looks less like something installed on Saturday afternoon and more like a colony that has occupied the place for generations.

That illusion is one of the finest tricks available to a gardener.

Growing Tulipa tarda

Plant the bulbs in autumn in a sunny location with fertile, well-drained soil.

The RHS recommends planting T. tarda approximately 4 to 6 inches deep.

Good drainage is particularly important if you hope to keep the plants for many years.

After flowering, resist the temptation to tidy everything immediately. Allow the foliage to remain until it yellows naturally. Those leaves are replenishing the bulb.

If the plants are happy, offsets can be separated and replanted, although there is often little reason to interfere with an established colony.

Sometimes the best gardening technique is simply knowing when to leave something alone.

A Small Tulip With a Long Future

Tulipa tarda will never produce the enormous flowers of ‘Pink Impression’ or the towering red goblets of ‘Oxford’.

Nor should it.

Its virtues belong to another tradition entirely.

It gives us small star-shaped yellow-and-white flowers, compact growth, Central Asian ancestry and the ability to settle into suitable gardens and increase over time.

It belongs among stones, beside paths, at the front of borders and in sunny places where its flowers can open fully to the spring sky.

And there is something rather satisfying about planting a genuine species tulip.

Modern hybrids show us what generations of skilled breeders can persuade a tulip to become.

Tulipa tarda reminds us what a tulip was in the first place.

Return to GoGardenNow.com. 

Spring Green Viridiflora Tulip: A Touch of Green in the Spring Garden

 

Green is everywhere in the spring garden, but it is not where we usually expect to find it on a tulip.

That is precisely what makes ‘Spring Green’ so distinctive.

Its elegant flowers are creamy white to ivory, each petal marked through the center with a broad feather of fresh green. As the flower matures, the white becomes more pronounced while the green stripe remains, producing one of the cleanest and most sophisticated color combinations among tulips.

There is nothing gaudy about ‘Spring Green’. It is cool, restrained and remarkably versatile—a tulip that can look equally appropriate in an old cottage garden, a formal border or a thoroughly modern landscape.

Why Is It Called ‘Spring Green’?

For once, a tulip name requires very little detective work.

The flowers really are spring green.

Each creamy-white petal bears a conspicuous green stripe or flame running through its center. Unlike the accidental green that occasionally appears in ordinary flowers, this coloration is a defining genetic characteristic of the Viridiflora tulips.

The name therefore describes both the flower and the season remarkably well. Its fresh green markings are almost exactly the color of young leaves emerging throughout the garden in spring.

One could hardly have named it more appropriately.

When Was ‘Spring Green’ Introduced?

‘Spring Green’ was introduced in 1969 and is generally credited to the Dutch firm Gebroeders Van den Berg.

That makes it a relatively modern tulip compared with some of the old cultivars that have survived from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but more than half a century of continued commercial production has established ‘Spring Green’ as something of a modern classic.

It has also received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, recognition of its value as a dependable garden plant.

Its continued popularity is particularly impressive because Viridiflora tulips occupy a rather small and unusual corner of the tulip world. ‘Spring Green’ has escaped that niche to become one of the best-known green-flowered tulips of all.

What Type of Tulip Is It?

‘Spring Green’ belongs to Division 8, the Viridiflora Group.

The name Viridiflora comes from Latin: viridis means green, while flora refers to the flower. Green-flowered is therefore essentially what the name means.

Viridiflora tulips are distinguished by a characteristic green streak, stripe or flame on the petals. The amount of green varies tremendously among cultivars. Some flowers are predominantly another color with a narrow green stripe, while others display so much green that it becomes the dominant color.

‘Spring Green’ strikes an especially pleasing balance.

The green is strong enough to be unmistakable, but the creamy-white margins give the flower lightness and contrast.

An Unusual Chapter in Tulip History

The green coloration of Viridiflora tulips has an interesting botanical origin.

The group developed from tulips showing unusual green pigmentation in their floral parts. In ordinary flowers, petals develop their characteristic colors while losing much of the chlorophyll associated with leaves. In Viridiflora tulips, portions of the petals retain chlorophyll, producing the characteristic green markings.

In other words, part of the petal behaves—at least in its pigmentation—a little more like a leaf.

What might once have been regarded as an oddity became something worth preserving and propagating.

Gardeners have always had a weakness for botanical oddities. Fortunately, occasionally one of them is beautiful.

Where Does ‘Spring Green’ Come From?

‘Spring Green’ itself is a cultivated Dutch garden tulip, not a species collected from the wild. Its immediate origin therefore belongs to the Dutch bulb-growing industry rather than to a particular mountainside in Asia.

Its deeper ancestry, however, ultimately leads eastward.

The wild ancestors of our garden tulips are principally associated with Central Asia and adjoining regions, particularly the mountainous country extending through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and surrounding areas.

Tulips evolved in climates characterized by cold winters, moist springs and comparatively dry summers.

That ancestry still governs how modern tulips behave in our gardens.

They enjoy moisture while actively growing in spring, but dormant bulbs generally fare poorly in persistently wet summer soil.

A Late-Season Tulip

‘Spring Green’ is a late-flowering tulip, generally blooming in late April into May depending upon climate.

This is one of its great virtues.

Early tulips can sometimes seem painfully brief. They flower gloriously, a spell of warm weather arrives, and suddenly the performance is over.

Viridiflora tulips help extend the season.

By combining early, midseason and late tulips, gardeners can maintain flowers over a considerably longer period. ‘Spring Green’ makes an especially elegant finale.

Flowers That Last

Viridiflora tulips are also known for unusually long-lasting flowers.

The blooms often remain attractive for an extended period, both in the garden and when cut for arrangements.

‘Spring Green’ grows approximately 18 to 20 inches tall, producing strong stems capable of carrying its substantial flowers.

That combination of moderate height, sturdy stems and long-lasting bloom makes it considerably more useful than its unusual coloration alone would suggest.

This isn't merely a novelty tulip.

It is a very good garden tulip that happens to be unusual.

How to Use ‘Spring Green’ in the Landscape

Perhaps the greatest virtue of ‘Spring Green’ is its versatility.

Green and white are already present almost everywhere in a garden. Consequently, ‘Spring Green’ rarely fights with its surroundings.

Instead, it tends to connect other colors.

It can be used in formal beds, perennial borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens and containers. It is particularly effective where its unusual flowers can be viewed fairly closely.

Plant it near a walkway and people will notice that something is different.

From a distance they see elegant ivory tulips.

Up close they discover the green.

Pair It With White

For an exceptionally clean planting, combine ‘Spring Green’ with pure white tulips.

The green-striped flowers provide just enough variation to prevent an all-white planting from becoming monotonous.

White daffodils can serve the same purpose.

This combination works particularly well around traditional architecture, stone walls, brick walks and formal garden spaces.

It is quiet without being dull.

Pair It With Purple

One of the finest companions for ‘Spring Green’ is deep purple.

The contrast is magnificent.

A dark purple tulip—something in the plum, aubergine or near-black range—provides visual weight, while ‘Spring Green’ brings light and freshness.

The green markings serve almost as a bridge between the dark flowers and surrounding foliage.

This is one of those combinations that looks carefully designed even when the gardener has done little more than choose two good tulips.

Pink Works Beautifully, Too

Soft rose, blush and pale pink tulips make excellent companions.

The effect is gentler than purple and particularly appropriate for cottage gardens.

A planting of white, green and pale pink has an almost antique quality, especially among old roses, peonies and traditional perennials.

For something stronger, use deep rose or burgundy.

‘Spring Green’ can take it.

Try It With Black Tulips

For a thoroughly dramatic combination, pair ‘Spring Green’ with one of the nearly black tulips.

The contrast between creamy white and deep maroon-black is striking, while the green stripe keeps the combination from looking too severe.

A broad drift alternating dark tulips with ‘Spring Green’ can be spectacular in a formal bed.

Sometimes restraint and drama can occupy the same garden.

An Excellent Tulip for Containers

‘Spring Green’ is particularly well suited to large pots and containers.

Its moderate height prevents it from becoming top-heavy, and its unusual flowers can be appreciated at close range.

For a simple container, plant the bulbs densely and let ‘Spring Green’ stand alone.

For something more elaborate, underplant them with white violas, pale pansies or other low spring flowers.

A dark container—charcoal, aged terracotta or black—can provide particularly handsome contrast with the pale flowers.

Use It Among Perennials

Like all tulips, ‘Spring Green’ eventually leaves behind declining foliage.

Don't cut it off prematurely.

The leaves need to continue photosynthesizing after flowering so the bulb can store energy.

Instead, plant the bulbs among perennials that emerge as the tulips finish.

Hardy geraniums, peonies, hostas where conditions are appropriate, and other spring-growing perennials can gradually conceal the yellowing tulip foliage.

By early summer, there need be little evidence that the tulips were ever there.

Until next spring.

Superb for Cutting

‘Spring Green’ is also an outstanding cut flower.

The long stems, durable flowers and green-and-white coloration make it particularly useful in arrangements.

Unlike strongly colored tulips, it doesn't dictate the entire palette of a bouquet. It can accompany pink, purple, burgundy, yellow or white flowers and still look perfectly at home.

A vase containing nothing but ‘Spring Green’ is also remarkably elegant.

Sometimes simplicity wins.

Can ‘Spring Green’ Come Back?

Viridiflora tulips are sometimes reported to return more reliably than some other highly bred tulip classes, although expectations should remain reasonable.

Tulips are not daffodils.

For the best chance of repeat flowering, plant the bulbs in full sun and fertile, sharply drained soil. After flowering, remove the spent flower heads but leave the stems and foliage until they have yellowed naturally.

Summer drainage is especially important.

Remember the ancestral climate of tulips: winter cold, spring moisture and a relatively dry summer dormancy.

Hot, soggy soil is not a recipe for a long and prosperous tulip dynasty.

Plant in Groups

As with most tulips, ‘Spring Green’ becomes much more effective when planted generously.

Ten bulbs make a nice group.

Twenty-five begin to make a statement.

Fifty or more can form a broad ivory-and-green ribbon through a border.

Because the coloration is restrained, large plantings don't become overwhelming. In fact, this is one tulip that becomes increasingly elegant as the number of bulbs increases.

A Tulip Unlike Most Others

‘Spring Green’ succeeds because it occupies a curious middle ground.

It is unusual without being bizarre.

It is colorful without being loud.

It is sophisticated without requiring a sophisticated garden.

Its creamy-white petals streaked with living green seem perfectly suited to the season in which it flowers—a time when the entire garden is exchanging the dull colors of winter for the fresh green of another year.

Introduced in 1969, ‘Spring Green’ has remained popular for more than half a century. That is no small achievement in a bulb trade constantly introducing something new.

Some tulips shout for attention.

‘Spring Green’ merely stands there looking elegant—and somehow gets noticed anyway.

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Peppermintstick Species Tulip: A Little Wild Tulip With Candy-Striped Flowers

 

Not every tulip needs to stand two feet tall and carry a flower the size of a teacup.

Some of the most charming tulips are much closer to their wild ancestors—small, graceful plants that look perfectly at home among stones, along a pathway or scattered through a sunny border. ‘Peppermintstick’ belongs to that company.

With narrow flowers striped cherry-red and creamy white, this diminutive tulip really does resemble an old-fashioned peppermint stick before its flowers open. When sunshine reaches them, however, the blossoms spread into delicate stars and reveal a surprisingly dramatic interior.

It is a very different creature from the great Darwin Hybrids and Triumph tulips—and therein lies its charm.

What Is a Species Tulip?

‘Peppermintstick’, often sold as Tulipa clusiana ‘Peppermintstick’, belongs to the group gardeners commonly call species or botanical tulips. Strictly speaking, the Royal Horticultural Society now describes ‘Peppermintstick’ as a small hybrid tulip and lists Tulipa clusiana ‘Peppermintstick’ among its synonyms. It is nevertheless closely associated horticulturally with T. clusiana, the Lady Tulip, and is generally marketed with the species tulips.

Species tulips are generally smaller and less extravagantly bred than the familiar garden hybrids. Many retain characteristics of wild tulips, including relatively delicate foliage, smaller bulbs and flowers that respond dramatically to sunlight.

They can also be remarkably persistent.

Where conditions suit them, some species tulips settle into the garden and increase rather than gradually disappear.

‘Peppermintstick’ is particularly good at this.

Where Does It Come From?

To understand ‘Peppermintstick’, it helps to understand its close relative, Tulipa clusiana.

The wild species has an extensive native range stretching from northern Iraq eastward through Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the western Himalayas.

This is important because the natural home of a tulip tells us a great deal about what it wants in the garden.

These are not plants of permanently damp woodland.

Within its range, Tulipa clusiana occurs in forest openings, dry savanna-like slopes and rocky slopes, at elevations reported from roughly 1,500 to 3,300 meters.

Think mountains, rocky ground, bright sunshine and pronounced seasons.

That background explains much of the plant's behavior in cultivation.

Wet Winters, Dry Summers

The Lady Tulip is particularly well adapted to climates having cool, reasonably moist winters followed by warm, dry summers.

The Missouri Botanical Garden recommends well-drained soil and notes that T. clusiana performs especially well where winters are cool and moist without being waterlogged and summers are warm and dry.

That summer dryness matters.

Tulips spend summer underground as dormant bulbs. A bulb resting in relatively dry soil is quite content. A dormant tulip bulb sitting in hot, wet ground is another matter altogether.

Rot soon settles the argument.

For that reason, ‘Peppermintstick’ is particularly suited to rock gardens, gravel gardens, raised beds and sunny borders with excellent drainage.

Why Is It Called ‘Peppermintstick’?

This name requires very little detective work.

Before the flowers fully open, the narrow pointed tepals show a striking combination of cherry or cerise red and white. A Dutch specialist describes the flowers as cherry-red with white edging and an ivory-white interior, while the RHS describes them as white with cerise markings on the outer tepals.

The closed flower therefore resembles a striped peppermint candy stick.

It is one of those rare plant names that tells you almost exactly what you are going to get.

The cultivar is reported by Dutch bulb specialist Peter C. Nijssen as dating from 1998.

Two Flowers for the Price of One

One of the most delightful things about ‘Peppermintstick’ is how completely the flower changes according to the weather.

On cloudy days and at night, the blossoms remain comparatively closed. The red-and-white exterior is then prominent, emphasizing that peppermint-stick appearance.

Give them sunshine and something quite different happens.

The pointed tepals spread outward until the flower becomes an open star, revealing a mostly white interior with a dark bluish or violet center.

A planting can therefore look like a collection of slender striped tulips in the morning and a scattering of white stars by a sunny afternoon.

That little transformation gives ‘Peppermintstick’ considerably more interest than its modest stature might suggest.

Small Is Part of Its Charm

‘Peppermintstick’ generally reaches only about 10 to 12 inches tall, sometimes less. The foliage is correspondingly narrow and graceful rather than broad and substantial.

Don't regard that small size as a disadvantage.

It allows this tulip to be used in places where a 24-inch Darwin Hybrid would look ridiculous.

Put ‘Peppermintstick’ near the front of the garden, where its details can be appreciated.

Perfect for the Rock Garden

This may be one of its finest uses.

Plant ‘Peppermintstick’ among stones and low-growing plants in a sunny rock garden, and it begins to resemble the sort of wild tulip from which our elaborate garden varieties ultimately descended.

Good drainage in a rock garden also suits its natural inclinations.

Tuck the bulbs into pockets between rocks, but don't plant them as isolated specimens. A single ‘Peppermintstick’ is charming; a colony is far better.

Plant It Along a Walkway

Because the plants are small, they are excellent along paths and garden walks.

Plant irregular groups along the edge rather than making an unbroken line. The flowers are interesting enough to reward close examination, particularly when they open in sunshine and reveal their dark centers.

This is a tulip that invites you to stop and look.

Let It Naturalize

Perhaps the greatest virtue of ‘Peppermintstick’ is its ability to naturalize.

The clusiana group has a reputation for persistence. Missouri Botanical Garden notes that Lady Tulips can increase by offsets and stolons under favorable conditions, eventually forming colonies. ‘Peppermintstick’ itself is described by specialist growers as reliably naturalizing, and the cultivar is frequently recommended for that purpose.

This distinguishes it from many modern tulips.

A grand Double Late tulip may put on a tremendous show the first spring and then gradually decline. A happy species-type tulip may do the opposite: begin modestly and become more impressive as the years pass.

That is my kind of bargain.

Try It in a Gravel Garden

‘Peppermintstick’ is almost made for the modern gravel garden.

Plant bulbs in sunny, sharply drained soil among low drought-tolerant perennials. The tulips provide spring interest before many summer plants have reached their stride, and the drier summer conditions suit the dormant bulbs.

Creeping thyme, low sedums and other restrained groundcovers can make suitable neighbors, provided they don't smother the tulips.

The effect can be natural without becoming untidy.

Excellent for the Front of a Border

In a conventional perennial border, place ‘Peppermintstick’ right at the front.

Its narrow foliage and modest height make it particularly useful around emerging perennials. As the tulips finish flowering, neighboring plants expand and conceal the declining foliage.

That arrangement also solves one of the perennial problems of tulip gardening: what to do with the leaves after the flowers disappear.

Don't cut them off.

Allow the foliage to yellow naturally so it can replenish the bulbs for next year's flowers.

Plant Enough to Make an Impression

Small bulbs should generally be planted in larger numbers.

Garden references recommend ‘Peppermintstick’ for beds, borders, rock gardens and naturalized areas, with groups of at least 15 bulbs suggested for a worthwhile visual effect.

Fifteen is a good beginning.

Twenty-five is better.

And if the planting is happy, nature may eventually supply the rest.

Unlike tall hybrid tulips, these don't necessarily need to be arranged in great formal blocks. Irregular colonies suit their character beautifully.

Scatter them deliberately—but make the scattering look accidental.

Gardeners have been practicing that particular deception for centuries.

What Should You Plant With It?

Because ‘Peppermintstick’ is red and white, blue is a particularly good companion.

Grape hyacinths (Muscari) can create a low blue carpet around the tulips. Forget-me-nots can provide a softer effect.

Small daffodils are another excellent choice, particularly delicate types rather than enormous trumpet varieties.

Other recommended companions include Anemone blanda and creeping phlox.

The important thing is scale.

‘Peppermintstick’ possesses a delicate character. Pairing it with enormous, aggressively colored spring flowers can overwhelm it.

An Interesting Tulip for Southern Gardens

There is another reason the clusiana tulips deserve attention.

Missouri Botanical Garden notes that they can show good perennial performance in southern gardens because they require less winter cold than many tulips.

That doesn't mean they will thrive everywhere in the Deep South. Tulips still require appropriate seasonal conditions, and hot, wet summer soil remains a serious obstacle.

But among tulips for gardeners in milder climates, the clusiana group is certainly worth experimenting with—particularly in raised, sunny, sharply drained locations.

A Tulip With a Distinguished Namesake

The species name clusiana honors Carolus Clusius (1526–1609), the great Flemish physician and botanist whose work played an important role in establishing tulip cultivation in Europe.

That gives this little tulip a connection to the very beginnings of Europe's fascination with tulips.

The great formal tulip displays of Holland came later. Before them were wild tulips from Asia, botanical collectors, gardens and scholars trying to understand these curious bulbs from the East.

‘Peppermintstick’ still looks close enough to that older world to remind us where tulips came from.

Small Tulip, Big Personality

‘Peppermintstick’ will never compete with a Darwin Hybrid for sheer size.

It shouldn't try.

Its virtues are entirely different: slender foliage, pointed red-and-white flowers, star-shaped blossoms in sunshine, compact growth and an ability to settle into suitable gardens and form colonies.

Plant it in a rock garden. Let it wander along a sunny path. Tuck it among low perennials. Give it gravel, sunshine and good drainage.

Then leave it alone long enough to become established.

The great hybrid tulips may provide the spring fireworks.

‘Peppermintstick’ provides something quieter and perhaps more enduring—the charm of a wild tulip that looks as though it actually belongs in the garden.

Return to GoGardenNow.com.  

 

Oxford Darwin Hybrid Tulip: A Classic Red With a Distinguished Name

 

Some tulips are memorable because they are unusual. ‘Oxford’ is memorable because it does the traditional things extraordinarily well.

Its great flowers are a rich, glowing red, carried high on stout stems above broad green foliage. When the flowers open in the spring sunshine, they reveal a striking interior: a dark, nearly black center surrounded by golden yellow. The combination gives an otherwise classic red tulip considerably more character than one might expect at first glance.

‘Oxford’ is also one of the old stalwarts of the Darwin Hybrid class—a group that changed the way tulips were used in gardens and landscapes during the twentieth century.

When Was ‘Oxford’ Introduced?

‘Oxford’ was introduced in 1945, making it an old cultivar by the standards of modern commercial tulips. Horticultural references continue to list that date, and ‘Oxford’ has remained in cultivation for more than 80 years.

That longevity tells us something.

Tulip cultivars come and go with remarkable frequency. A variety introduced this year may be difficult to find a decade or two later. A tulip that survives in commerce for generations has generally done so because growers and gardeners continue to find it useful.

‘Oxford’ certainly qualifies.

Why Is It Called ‘Oxford’?

The name naturally brings to mind Oxford, England, and particularly the ancient university city.

Unfortunately, the precise reason the name was chosen is not well documented in readily available primary sources. I have not found an original breeder's statement saying, in effect, "We named this tulip Oxford because..."

So we should distinguish between what is known and what merely sounds plausible.

The cultivar is unquestionably called ‘Oxford’, but we cannot safely claim that it commemorates Oxford University, a particular college, an individual associated with Oxford, or some historical event without better evidence.

There is nothing unusual about European tulips receiving geographical names. The famous Darwin Hybrid ‘Apeldoorn’, for example, bears the name of a Dutch city. ‘Oxford’ may simply have been intended to evoke the English city and the prestige associated with its name.

It certainly has a rather scholarly ring to it.

One might even say that among red tulips, ‘Oxford’ has excellent credentials.

What Type of Tulip Is ‘Oxford’?

‘Oxford’ belongs to the Darwin Hybrid Group.

The Royal Horticultural Society describes Darwin Hybrids as tall tulips producing large, single, ovoid flowers in mid- to late spring, and specifically places ‘Oxford’ in this group.

Darwin Hybrids originated from breeding involving the old Darwin tulips and Tulipa fosteriana. This marriage produced something gardeners badly needed: large flowers combined with vigorous plants and sturdy stems.

The result was one of the great achievements of twentieth-century tulip breeding.

‘Oxford’ typically grows around 20 to 24 inches tall, though conditions affect ultimate height. Modern landscape bulb catalogues commonly list it at about 60 cm, or roughly 24 inches.

These are not little tulips intended to disappear among pansies.

They have presence.

A Remarkable Red Flower

‘Oxford’ is usually described as vermilion or bright red.

But the exterior color is only part of the story.

When the flower opens, the interior reveals a golden-yellow base surrounding a nearly black center. The Pacific Bulb Society specifically notes this combination of large red flowers, yellow base and black center.

On cool or cloudy days the flowers remain more tightly cupped, presenting a comparatively restrained red display.

Then the sun appears.

Darwin Hybrid flowers open substantially in warm sunshine, and a bed of ‘Oxford’ suddenly exposes those yellow and black centers. The appearance of the planting can change dramatically over the course of a spring day.

It Is Also Fragrant

Here's something easily overlooked when discussing tulips: ‘Oxford’ is fragrant.

Tulips are seldom planted primarily for fragrance, and many cultivars possess little noticeable scent. ‘Oxford’, however, is among the Darwin Hybrids reported to have fragrance.

That gives the gardener another reason to plant it somewhere the flowers can be approached closely rather than relegating the entire display to a distant corner of the property.

A planting along a walkway or near a terrace allows both the size and the subtler qualities of the flowers to be appreciated.

One of D. W. Lefeber's Favorites

There is another interesting piece of ‘Oxford’ history.

The great Dutch tulip breeder D. W. Lefeber was enormously important in the development of Darwin Hybrid tulips. A horticultural paper discussing tulip collections notes that many Darwin Hybrid varieties were discovered or developed by Lefeber—and identifies ‘Oxford’ as his favorite variety.

That is quite an endorsement.

Lefeber worked with some of the most important tulips of the twentieth century. If ‘Oxford’ stood out among them, there was evidently more to this red tulip than meets the casual eye.

How to Use ‘Oxford’ in the Landscape

‘Oxford’ is first and foremost a landscape tulip.

Its tall stems and large flowers allow it to be seen from a considerable distance, which makes it especially useful in broad beds and borders.

The RHS recommends ‘Oxford’ for flower beds and borders, cottage and informal gardens, courtyard gardens, coastal gardens and containers.

But I think its finest use is mass planting.

Plant five bulbs and you have five handsome red tulips.

Plant twenty-five and you have a display.

Plant fifty, a hundred or several hundred in broad drifts, and you begin to use ‘Oxford’ as it deserves to be used—as a genuine landscape plant.

The brilliant red is strong enough to carry across a lawn or large garden.

Red Requires a Little Discipline

A powerful red such as ‘Oxford’ should be placed deliberately.

One of the best combinations is red and white. White tulips or white narcissus provide a crisp contrast and prevent a large planting of red from becoming visually heavy.

Cream and ivory provide a softer version of the same effect.

Yellow is another natural companion because the golden interior of ‘Oxford’ already introduces that color. A yellow Darwin Hybrid planted alongside it can produce an exceptionally cheerful traditional spring display.

For greater drama, try deep purple or nearly black tulips. Their darkness gives the brilliant red greater depth.

And don't overlook blue. Low-growing grape hyacinths (Muscari) can form a blue carpet beneath the tall red flowers.

Red above blue is a bold combination, but spring is no time for excessive timidity.

Plant It in Broad Drifts

Because ‘Oxford’ is tall and strongly colored, it works particularly well when planted in irregular drifts rather than little isolated clumps.

Imagine a broad ribbon of red moving through a perennial border, disappearing behind a shrub and appearing again farther along.

That is considerably more effective than placing six bulbs here, five there and three somewhere else.

For a formal garden, of course, the opposite approach may be appropriate. ‘Oxford’ can be planted in regimented beds or geometric blocks, where its uniform height and strong color create the sort of disciplined spring display traditionally associated with grand gardens and public parks.

It is quite capable of behaving itself when required.

A Good Tulip for Perennial Plantings

One of the great advantages of Darwin Hybrids is their reputation for returning in subsequent years.

No modern hybrid tulip should be promised the permanence of a daffodil. Climate, soil, drainage and summer conditions matter enormously. Nevertheless, Darwin Hybrids are generally among the better modern tulips for gardeners hoping for repeat flowering.

Their vigor is one reason they became so important for landscape use. Darwin Hybrids are frequently recommended for naturalizing or perennial-style tulip plantings where conditions are favorable.

For the best chance of return, plant ‘Oxford’ in full sun and well-drained soil, remove spent flowers before seed develops, and leave the foliage untouched until it yellows naturally.

Those leaves may not be beautiful in June, but they are doing useful work underground.

Use Perennials to Hide the Fading Foliage

The traditional solution to declining tulip foliage is still the best one: plant something in front of it.

Place ‘Oxford’ among perennials that emerge vigorously as the tulips finish flowering. Hardy geraniums, peonies and similar plants can gradually conceal the yellowing foliage.

The tulips dominate the border in spring.

Then the perennials take over.

A well-planned garden should work rather like a good play: one character exits while another is already entering from the wings.

Excellent for Cutting

‘Oxford’ also makes an excellent cut flower.

Darwin Hybrids possess the long stems, large flowers and strong construction florists want, and ‘Oxford’ brings an exceptionally useful red to arrangements.

A simple vase containing a dozen stems can be spectacular.

For a more traditional arrangement, combine ‘Oxford’ with white or yellow tulips. For something moodier, add dark purple flowers and spring foliage.

Growing ‘Oxford’

Plant the bulbs in autumn, preferably after the soil has cooled.

Choose fertile, well-drained soil in sun and protect tall tulips from severe wind where possible. The RHS recommends planting tulips approximately 4 to 6 inches deep and particularly warns against excessive wet.

Poor drainage is one of the surest ways to turn an expensive tulip planting into an underground bulb-rotting experiment.

Where winters are too warm to provide sufficient natural chilling, bulbs may require pre-chilling before planting.

The Oxford Family

The name ‘Oxford’ also appears among related Darwin Hybrids.

‘Golden Oxford’, for example, is a bright yellow Darwin Hybrid and remains commercially important enough to appear regularly in modern bulb catalogues.

There are also cultivars bearing names such as ‘Red Oxford’, ‘Oxford Elite’ and ‘Oxford Wonder’, illustrating how the success of established cultivars often leads to sports, selections and related commercial introductions.

The old red ‘Oxford’, however, remains the classic.

A Red Tulip That Has Earned Its Place

‘Oxford’ doesn't depend upon novelty.

Its flowers aren't fringed, feathered or twisted. It doesn't resemble a peony. It doesn't change through half a dozen colors as it matures.

Instead, it gives us the virtues that made the Darwin Hybrids famous: large flowers, tall sturdy stems, vigorous growth, strong landscape performance and the possibility of returning in subsequent years.

Add brilliant red petals, a golden-yellow base, a black center and even a little fragrance, and it becomes easier to understand why ‘Oxford’ has survived since its introduction in 1945.

And there is one final recommendation worth remembering: among all the Darwin Hybrids associated with the legendary Dutch breeder D. W. Lefeber, ‘Oxford’ was reportedly his favorite.

A tulip breeder could hardly give a tulip higher praise.

More than eighty years later, ‘Oxford’ is still making a convincing case for itself.

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Jan Reus Triumph Tulip: A Dark and Velvety Spring Classic

 

Red tulips are hardly unusual. ‘Jan Reus’, however, isn't an ordinary red tulip.

Its flowers are a remarkably deep crimson, burgundy or beetroot-red, becoming so dark in certain light that they approach wine-purple. The petals have a rich, velvety quality, and the flowers retain the clean, traditional cup shape most people picture when someone says the word tulip.

‘Jan Reus’ is neither frilled nor striped nor extravagantly double. Its appeal comes from something simpler: form, color and restraint.

That makes it one of the most useful dark tulips for landscape planting.

Who Was Jan Reus?

Here we encounter a horticultural mystery.

Jan Reus is a Dutch personal name, and the cultivar clearly appears to have been named for someone bearing that name. Unfortunately, I have not found reliable primary documentation establishing exactly which Jan Reus was being honored or his relationship to the breeder or introducer.

That distinction matters. It is easy for cultivar histories to acquire charming stories through repetition, even when nobody can identify the original source.

So the responsible answer is that ‘Jan Reus’ appears to commemorate a person named Jan Reus, but the identity and circumstances behind the naming are not well documented in readily available horticultural sources.

The name itself is thoroughly Dutch, which seems fitting for a tulip developed within the great Dutch bulb-growing tradition.

When Was ‘Jan Reus’ Introduced?

The history becomes a little murky here as well.

Modern references generally describe ‘Jan Reus’ as a mid-20th-century Dutch introduction, but a dependable primary registration record giving an exact introduction year is surprisingly difficult to locate in commonly available sources.

For that reason, I would be cautious about attaching a precise year to it without the original Dutch registration or breeder's catalogue in hand.

What can safely be said is that ‘Jan Reus’ is not a recent novelty. It has been cultivated long enough to establish a reputation as one of the dependable dark-flowered Triumph tulips.

Sometimes an old cultivar earns its place in bulb catalogues the old-fashioned way: by continuing to perform.

What Type of Tulip Is ‘Jan Reus’?

‘Jan Reus’ belongs to the Triumph Group.

Triumph tulips are perhaps the workhorses of the modern tulip garden. The class developed from crosses involving early-flowering tulips and the old Darwin types and became prized for combining attractive flowers with strong stems, good weather resistance and a useful midseason flowering period.

The Royal Horticultural Society describes Triumph tulips as producing single, cup-shaped flowers during mid- and late spring. ‘Jan Reus’ itself reaches approximately 18 inches, or 45 cm, although growing conditions can produce somewhat taller plants.

Its flowers appear in mid-spring, carried on stems that themselves may be flushed with dark red. The RHS describes the flowers as dark crimson-red.

That combination of sturdy stems and compact flowers makes ‘Jan Reus’ particularly useful where spring weather can be unpredictable.

Just How Dark Is It?

Photographs can be deceptive with this cultivar.

Depending upon the light, ‘Jan Reus’ may appear dark red, crimson, burgundy, maroon or reddish-purple. Gardeners' World describes its flowers as compact and velvety, while other horticultural references describe them as burgundy or beetroot-purple.

The important point is that it is not a bright scarlet tulip.

Its red has depth.

On an overcast spring morning, a mass planting can look almost like dark wine. Strong sunlight reveals considerably more crimson and red.

That changing quality is one of its virtues. Dark tulips often give a planting scheme the depth that ordinary bright colors lack.

One of the Earlier Dark Tulips

Another useful characteristic of ‘Jan Reus’ is its flowering time.

It is considered one of the earlier-flowering dark-colored tulips, generally flowering in April and continuing into May according to climate.

That gives the gardener an opportunity to introduce deep burgundy and purple-red colors before many of the famous nearly black late tulips reach their peak.

If you enjoy dark tulips, planting varieties from different flowering classes can extend that dramatic color over several weeks rather than concentrating everything into one brief display.

Using ‘Jan Reus’ in the Landscape

‘Jan Reus’ is particularly effective in groups and broad drifts.

One dark tulip standing by itself can look almost accidental. Twenty-five of them look deliberate.

Fifty look magnificent.

Its moderate height makes it useful in the front or middle of a perennial border, depending upon the height of neighboring plants. It also works well in formal beds, cottage gardens and large containers. The RHS recommends it for flower borders and beds, cottage gardens, containers and cutting gardens.

A long ribbon of ‘Jan Reus’ beside a walkway can be particularly handsome. The dark flowers provide a strong line through the landscape without the glaring effect sometimes produced by masses of bright scarlet tulips.

Pair It With Pale Colors

Dark tulips become especially useful when treated as a contrast rather than simply another color.

Cream and ivory are outstanding companions. The pale flowers seem almost luminous beside the dark burgundy of ‘Jan Reus’.

Soft yellow also works beautifully. One gardening source specifically recommends combining the beetroot-purple coloring of ‘Jan Reus’ with pale yellow tulips.

Apricot and peach may be even better.

Warm apricot beside dark crimson creates a rich, sophisticated combination without becoming garish. The same principle works with salmon and copper-colored tulips.

And then there is pink.

Pale blush-pink beside ‘Jan Reus’ produces one of those combinations that looks as though considerably more planning went into it than actually did.

Or Go Darker Still

There is another approach.

Instead of contrasting ‘Jan Reus’ with pale flowers, surround it with deep purple, plum and nearly black tulips.

The result can be remarkably dramatic, particularly against fresh spring-green foliage.

The trick is to include enough variation that the individual flowers remain visible. A planting consisting entirely of extremely dark flowers can become an indistinct patch from a distance.

‘Jan Reus’, with its underlying crimson tones, helps solve that problem. In sunlight the red emerges and gives the planting life.

Don't Forget the Foliage Problem

Tulips perform magnificently and then leave us with their foliage.

If the bulbs are to have any chance of returning well, that foliage must be allowed to remain until it yellows naturally.

A good solution is to plant ‘Jan Reus’ among emerging perennials that gradually conceal the declining tulip leaves.

Heucheras, hardy geraniums, brunneras and other spring-growing perennials can perform this task effectively. One European nursery specifically recommends heucheras, tiarellas and brunneras for disguising tulip foliage after flowering.

It is an old garden trick and a good one: arrange for the next performer to enter the stage before the previous one has quite finished taking his bow.

A Tulip That May Come Back

‘Jan Reus’ has another quality worth mentioning.

Although many modern tulips are best treated as temporary spring displays, ‘Jan Reus’ has developed a reputation for returning more reliably than many Triumph tulips.

Gardeners' World notes that it is more likely than many tulips to flower for several years after planting. Gardens Illustrated has also included it among tulips reported to perennialize reliably under suitable conditions.

That is not a guarantee. Soil, drainage, summer moisture and climate all matter enormously.

For the best chance of repeat flowering, plant the bulbs deeply in fertile but well-drained soil in full sun, remove the spent flowers and allow the foliage to die naturally. The RHS recommends planting approximately 4 to 6 inches deep and protecting the bulbs from excessive wet.

Excellent for Cutting

The strong stems and dark flowers also make ‘Jan Reus’ an excellent cut tulip.

Its coloring is particularly valuable in arrangements because it provides contrast. A few stems among cream, peach, apricot or pale pink flowers immediately give a bouquet greater depth.

Gardeners' World specifically notes that its compact, velvety flowers work well in cut-flower arrangements.

A vase filled entirely with ‘Jan Reus’ can also be striking—dark, restrained and rather more dignified than the usual riot of spring colors.

A Tulip With Quiet Authority

‘Jan Reus’ doesn't rely upon novelty.

It doesn't have fringed petals. It isn't striped like a Rembrandt tulip or stuffed with petals like a Double Late. It doesn't need any of those things.

Instead, it offers classic tulip form, sturdy Triumph stems and exceptionally deep crimson-burgundy flowers.

Plant it with cream for elegance. Pair it with apricot for warmth. Put it beside pale pink for romance. Or plant a great drift of ‘Jan Reus’ by itself and allow that dark, velvety red to speak for itself.

The history behind the man whose name it bears may have become obscure.

The tulip has done a rather better job of being remembered.

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Pink Impression Tulip: A Giant Among the Pinks

 

There are pink tulips, and then there is ‘Pink Impression’.

With enormous goblet-shaped flowers carried on tall, substantial stems, ‘Pink Impression’ has the scale and presence that made Darwin Hybrid tulips famous. Its color ranges through shades of luminous rose-pink and salmon-pink, often becoming deeper toward the center of the flower. Against its broad gray-green foliage, the effect is impressive indeed.

And in this case, the name is particularly appropriate.

When Was ‘Pink Impression’ Introduced?

‘Pink Impression’ was introduced in 1979, a date consistently given by specialist bulb growers and horticultural references. It quickly became an important modern Darwin Hybrid and remains widely grown nearly half a century later.

More importantly, ‘Pink Impression’ became the foundation of what is now known as the Impression series. Several well-known tulips arose from it as sports—naturally occurring mutations—including ‘Apricot Impression’, ‘Blushing Impression’, ‘Red Impression’, ‘Salmon Impression’ and others.

So ‘Pink Impression’ isn't merely another member of the Impression family.

It is the original Impression.

Why Is It Called ‘Pink Impression’?

Unfortunately, I have not found reliable primary documentation recording the breeder's precise thoughts when the name was selected.

The first half requires little explanation. The flower is unmistakably pink, although that hardly does justice to its coloring. Depending upon the stage of bloom and the light, flowers may show shades of rose, salmon and softer pink. Specialist bulb supplier Van Engelen describes the flowers as beginning a luminous soft rose and maturing to a deeper rose, with a dark interior base narrowly bordered with yellow.

As for “Impression,” we should resist inventing a story that the historical record doesn't support. But it is certainly an apt horticultural name. These are not timid flowers. Their extraordinary size, strong color and tall stems make an immediate impression in the landscape.

One British nursery even jokes that the name ought to refer to how impressed gardeners are by the flower rather than merely describing its pink coloration.

Whatever the breeder originally intended, the name proved useful enough to give rise to an entire family of Impression tulips.

What Type of Tulip Is It?

‘Pink Impression’ is a Darwin Hybrid tulip, sometimes marketed more specifically as a Giant Darwin Hybrid.

Darwin Hybrids occupy a particularly useful position among garden tulips. They are tall, vigorous plants producing large, classically shaped single flowers on strong stems. The Royal Horticultural Society describes the group as tall tulips bearing single, ovoid flowers in mid- to late spring.

‘Pink Impression’ generally grows about 20 to 24 inches tall, although conditions can influence its ultimate height. Its flowers can become remarkably large—some sources describe blooms approaching six inches across when fully expanded.

These aren't little jewels intended to be examined on one's knees.

They are landscape tulips.

The Great Strength of Darwin Hybrids

Darwin Hybrid tulips are sometimes called “perennial tulips” because they have a better reputation for returning in subsequent years than many highly bred tulip classes.

That description requires a qualification.

No modern hybrid tulip should be treated as though it were a daffodil that can simply be planted and forgotten for decades. Nevertheless, Darwin Hybrids are among the better choices for gardeners hoping for repeat flowering.

They perform best when planted in a sunny, well-drained location and allowed to complete their natural growth cycle after flowering. If you want the bulbs to return, deadhead the spent flowers but leave the foliage alone until it yellows and dies naturally. The leaves are replenishing the bulb for the following year.

Cutting the flowers for bouquets is perfectly possible, but doing so removes foliage and energy that could otherwise contribute to the bulb's future performance.

Using ‘Pink Impression’ in the Landscape

The sheer size of ‘Pink Impression’ dictates how it should be used.

Don't hide it.

At roughly two feet tall, it works beautifully in the middle or rear portions of spring borders, where its flowers can rise above shorter bulbs and emerging perennials. It is also well suited to formal beds, cottage gardens and large containers. The RHS recommends ‘Pink Impression’ for borders, beds, edging, courtyard gardens and containers.

But its finest use may simply be mass planting.

Five bulbs will show you what the flower looks like.

Twenty-five will begin to show you what the cultivar can do.

Fifty or a hundred planted in a broad drift can produce a great river of pink through the spring landscape.

Because the flowers are so large, ‘Pink Impression’ doesn't require extremely tight spacing to make itself noticed. Groups and irregular drifts generally look more natural than isolated bulbs arranged like soldiers on parade.

What Should You Plant With It?

The rich pink coloring gives the gardener plenty of possibilities.

For a traditional spring combination, pair ‘Pink Impression’ with white tulips or white daffodils. White provides contrast without competing with the pink.

For something more romantic, combine it with pale pink and blush-colored tulips, allowing the shades to flow gradually from light to dark.

Deep purple or near-black tulips provide a much more dramatic contrast. The darkness makes the luminous rose-pink of ‘Pink Impression’ appear even brighter.

Blue flowers can also be excellent companions. Grape hyacinths (Muscari), forget-me-nots and other low-growing blue spring flowers form a cool carpet beneath the tall pink blooms.

And, naturally, ‘Pink Impression’ can be planted with its own descendants. Van Engelen particularly recommends combinations with ‘Blushing Impression’, ‘Red Impression’ and ‘Salmon Impression’.

A broad planting of several Impression cultivars would create a particularly handsome progression from blush and salmon through pink to red.

Plant It Among Perennials

Tulips present the gardener with an old problem: after the magnificent flowers are gone, the foliage remains.

And it needs to remain.

One of the best solutions is to plant ‘Pink Impression’ among later-emerging perennials. As the tulip foliage begins to yellow, neighboring plants expand and gradually conceal it.

Hostas can perform this service where conditions suit both plants. Hardy geraniums, peonies and other spring-emerging perennials can do much the same.

The tulips have their hour upon the stage; then the summer garden quietly closes the curtain behind them.

A Fine Cut Flower—With One Reservation

With its enormous flowers and long, sturdy stems, ‘Pink Impression’ is naturally an excellent cut flower, especially for bouquets and describes its long stems as one of the strengths of the Impression series.

A vase filled entirely with ‘Pink Impression’ needs little embellishment.

But there is a trade-off. If your primary objective is to encourage the bulbs to return strongly in future years, leave the flowers and foliage in the garden rather than harvesting the stems.

For a dedicated cutting garden, simply plant enough that you can afford to be extravagant.

Growing ‘Pink Impression’

Plant the bulbs in fall in fertile, well-drained soil. Full sun is preferable, although some light shade can be tolerated.

The RHS recommends planting tulips approximately 4 to 6 inches deep, while American bulb specialists commonly recommend somewhat deeper planting—about 6 to 8 inches—for Giant Darwin Hybrids.

Good drainage is essential. Tulips are much more forgiving of winter cold than of bulbs sitting in soggy ground.

‘Pink Impression’ flowers in mid- to late spring, generally April into May depending upon climate.

A Tulip That Lives Up to Its Name

Some cultivar names require imagination. ‘Pink Impression’ really doesn't.

It is pink—and it makes an impression.

Its great goblet-shaped flowers rise nearly two feet above the spring garden in glowing shades of rose and salmon-pink. Its sturdy stems make it useful in exposed beds, its size gives it unusual landscape presence, and its Darwin Hybrid ancestry gives it a better chance of returning than many modern tulips.

Plant ten and you'll admire them.

Plant fifty and the neighbors will.

And perhaps that is the best explanation of the name ‘Pink Impression’ after all.

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