Some tulips are admired for subtlety. ‘Abba’ is not one of them.
With large, richly petaled flowers of glowing tomato-red to cardinal-red, often revealing a bright yellow heart when fully open, ‘Abba’ brings an unmistakable splash of color to the early spring garden. The flowers resemble small peonies rather than conventional tulips, and they sit on relatively short, sturdy stems.
It is a flower that attracts attention—and its memorable name doesn't hurt.
What Kind of Tulip Is ‘Abba’?
‘Abba’ belongs to the Double Early Group of tulips. The Royal Horticultural Society describes it as reaching about 30 cm (roughly 12 inches) tall, with double tomato-red flowers, yellow centers and occasional yellow feathering.
Double Early tulips are exactly what their name suggests. They flower comparatively early in the tulip season and possess many more petals than ordinary single tulips. When fully expanded, their flowers can resemble peonies or old-fashioned garden roses. The group is particularly valued for beds and containers because its plants tend to be relatively compact and sturdy.
‘Abba’ has another pleasant characteristic that isn't immediately apparent in a photograph: the flowers are fragrant.
When Was ‘Abba’ Introduced?
Here we encounter an interesting horticultural discrepancy.
Several modern horticultural references give 1951 as the introduction date for ‘Abba’. Gardenia, for example, states that gardeners have grown it since its introduction in 1951, while other bulb references place its introduction generally in the early 1950s.
There are, however, conflicting accounts in circulation. One European gardening source attributes an ‘Abba’ tulip to Baker Bros. in 1978 and explicitly associates its name with the Swedish musical group.
That creates an obvious problem: ABBA the band did not exist in 1951.
Indeed, the RHS-affiliated plant shop specifically notes that the tulip predates the Swedish supergroup by several decades.
Unless stronger cultivar-registration evidence establishes otherwise, the earlier date means we should be skeptical of the appealing story that the tulip was named for the musicians.
Why Was It Named ‘Abba’?
Unfortunately, a reliable account of the original naming appears elusive. I have not found convincing primary documentation identifying the person or thing for which the original cultivar was named.
That means the responsible answer is simply:
We don't know with certainty.
The name could have been personal, commercial or chosen simply because it was short and memorable. What we shouldn't do is confidently attribute the name to the Swedish pop group when sources placing the cultivar's introduction in 1951 make that impossible.
There is, however, something undeniably satisfying about the name itself.
ABBA is a palindrome—it reads the same forward and backward. So, unlike most tulips, you can walk past ‘Abba’, turn around, and find that its name hasn't changed at all.
The flower may look slightly different from the other direction.
And What About ABBA?
The coincidence became much more entertaining about two decades later.
ABBA became one of the world's most successful popular-music groups during the 1970s, with songs such as Waterloo, Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia.
So gardeners encountering an ‘Abba’ tulip today can hardly be blamed for making the association.
There is even a little horticultural appropriateness to it. ‘Abba’ is bright, flamboyant, cheerful and difficult to overlook—qualities not entirely foreign to the stage costumes of 1970s ABBA.
But unless evidence emerges for the later introduction date, consider that resemblance a happy coincidence rather than the origin of the cultivar's name.
The Flowers
‘Abba’ produces large, densely petaled red flowers with a yellow center. The red can vary from brilliant tomato-red to deeper cardinal shades, and occasional yellow markings or feathering may occur.
On cool or cloudy days the blossoms retain a compact, peony-like appearance. In warm sunshine they open considerably wider, exposing their yellow centers and revealing just how many petals are packed into each flower.
The combination of double flowers and short stems gives ‘Abba’ a substantial appearance despite its modest height.
That compact stature is actually an advantage.
Using ‘Abba’ in the Landscape
Because ‘Abba’ grows only about 8 to 12 inches tall, it belongs toward the front of a flower border, along walks and paths, or in areas where its elaborate flowers can be seen at close range.
It is especially good for mass planting.
A few bulbs will provide spots of red. Twenty-five planted together begin to form a proper display. A broad sweep of ‘Abba’ creates a brilliant pool of red early in the tulip season.
The RHS recommends it for flower beds and borders, cottage and informal gardens, containers and cut-flower use.
Because Double Early tulips are relatively short, they are also less visually awkward after a spring storm than some towering late tulips. Nevertheless, the flowers themselves are large and heavy, so a reasonably sheltered location is advantageous.
An Excellent Container Tulip
‘Abba’ may be even better in containers.
Its compact height is perfectly suited to pots, window boxes and large planters, where the flowers can be viewed closely. Double Early tulips as a group have long been recommended for precisely this purpose.
A large terracotta pot filled densely with ‘Abba’ needs very little else.
For a more elaborate spring container, underplant the tulips with small violas, pansies or other cool-season flowers. Keep the companions low enough that they don't compete with the tulips.
What Colors Go With ‘Abba’?
With such a strong red, restraint pays dividends.
White is perhaps the finest companion. White tulips, white narcissus or low white spring flowers make the red appear even more intense.
Yellow works particularly well because it echoes the yellow center of the ‘Abba’ flower.
For something richer, try deep purple or nearly black tulips. The combination of dark purple and brilliant red can produce a remarkably dramatic spring border.
Blue grape hyacinths (Muscari) provide another classic companion. Their cool blue contrasts beautifully with ‘Abba's’ warm red, and their lower stature makes them useful around the tulips' feet. Double Early tulips have traditionally been recommended for combinations with daffodils, hyacinths and muscari.
Don't Hide It in a Mixture
‘Abba’ has enough personality to deserve a little discipline in planting.
Rather than scattering individual bulbs through a multicolored tulip mixture, plant them in blocks, ribbons or generous irregular drifts. Repetition makes the color more powerful and allows the distinctive double flower form to register from a distance.
This is especially effective along a walkway, where a ribbon of red can lead the eye through the garden.
In a formal landscape, use evenly spaced groups or geometric beds. In a cottage garden, loosen the arrangement into natural-looking clusters among emerging perennials.
A Tulip Worth Remembering
‘Abba’ combines several desirable qualities in one compact plant: early bloom, brilliant red color, double peony-like flowers, fragrance, sturdy growth and excellent performance in containers and borders.
Then there is that name.
Whether viewed from the beginning or the end, Abba remains Abba. And although the tulip apparently arrived before Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid became famous, the coincidence has become part of its modern charm.
Plant a generous group beside a walkway and you'll have a red spring display difficult to ignore.
You might even find yourself humming Dancing Queen while planting the bulbs.
There are worse things that can happen in a garden.
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