There are tulips that announce spring with brilliant primary colors, and then there are those that seem to have been painted with a softer brush.
‘Foxtrot’, sometimes marketed as ‘Foxtrot Paris’, belongs decidedly to the latter group.
Its large, densely petaled flowers open in shades of ivory, blush pink and soft rose, sometimes showing touches of green when young. As the blossoms mature, their colors deepen, so that a planting can contain several shades at once. Add a sweet fragrance and compact, sturdy growth, and ‘Foxtrot’ becomes much more than another pretty pink tulip.
It is one of those flowers best appreciated close enough to notice the details.
Is It ‘Foxtrot’ or ‘Foxtrot Paris’?
This deserves clarification at the outset.
The accepted cultivar name is Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’. The Royal Horticultural Society lists ‘Foxtrot’ as the accepted name and classifies it in the Double Early Group. Major professional bulb suppliers likewise list the cultivar simply as ‘Foxtrot’.
The name ‘Foxtrot Paris’ is used commercially by some bulb retailers for what appears to be this same pink Double Early tulip.
So, if you purchase bulbs labeled “Foxtrot Paris,” you are essentially dealing with the tulip horticulturally known as ‘Foxtrot’.
And that matters when trying to trace its history.
When Was ‘Foxtrot’ Introduced—and By Whom?
Here the historical trail becomes frustratingly thin.
Information suggesting an introduction around 1981 by G. de Boer & Zn. should not be repeated as established fact. On checking better horticultural sources, I cannot substantiate that attribution sufficiently to recommend publishing it.
The Royal Horticultural Society recognizes ‘Foxtrot’ as an accepted cultivar but does not provide an introduction year or breeder on its plant record. Current Dutch and American professional bulb sources likewise describe the cultivar extensively without supplying a reliable breeder and introduction date.
Therefore, until an authoritative Dutch cultivar-registration record or contemporary breeder's catalogue turns up, the most responsible thing to say is:
The exact breeder and original introduction date of ‘Foxtrot’ are not well documented in readily accessible horticultural references.
There is no virtue in giving a precise date merely because somebody on the Internet gave one first.
Why Is It Called ‘Foxtrot’?
The original breeder's explanation for the name is similarly elusive.
It is tempting to associate the flower with the foxtrot, the smooth ballroom dance that became enormously popular during the early twentieth century. The name certainly gives the cultivar an air of movement and elegance appropriate to its soft, changing colors.
But there is no reliable evidence I have found showing that the breeder deliberately named the tulip for the dance.
One bulb retailer rather playfully associates the name with a fox, describing its pink-and-white flowers as playful.
Neither explanation should be presented as documented history.
What we can say is that Foxtrot is a wonderfully memorable name for an elegant flower, and the association with the dance is irresistible.
A breeze moving through a bed of pink ‘Foxtrot’ tulips might even justify the name after the fact.
What Type of Tulip Is ‘Foxtrot’?
‘Foxtrot’ is a Double Early tulip.
The RHS describes Double Early tulips as producing double, bowl-shaped flowers in mid-spring. ‘Foxtrot’ itself bears densely layered blossoms on relatively compact stems.
The flowers are so full that they are often described as peony-flowered tulips.
That doesn't mean they are related to peonies, of course. It simply describes their appearance. An ordinary tulip has six tepals, while a double tulip carries many additional petals, producing a much fuller blossom.
‘Foxtrot’ generally reaches only about 12 to 16 inches tall, depending upon growing conditions.
That compact stature is one of its great virtues.
A Flower That Changes Color
Perhaps the most interesting feature of ‘Foxtrot’ is that its flowers don't remain quite the same color from beginning to end.
Young flowers can open ivory or creamy white with soft pink and touches of green. As they mature, pink gradually becomes more prominent, eventually deepening toward richer rose shades.
Consequently, a bed of ‘Foxtrot’ doesn't necessarily appear as a uniform block of pink.
Some blossoms may be pale.
Others may be blush.
Still others may have matured to a deeper rose.
The effect is almost like a watercolor painting in which the colors have been allowed to flow into one another.
And It Is Fragrant
Here is another reason to grow it near a path or patio: ‘Foxtrot’ is fragrant.
Both the RHS-associated plant listing and Johnny's Selected Seeds describe the flowers as sweetly or lightly fragrant.
Tulips aren't generally the first bulbs we think of for fragrance. Hyacinths and narcissus usually take that honor.
So fragrance in a handsome double tulip is a welcome bonus.
How to Use ‘Foxtrot’ in the Landscape
Because it is relatively short, ‘Foxtrot’ belongs primarily toward the front of flower beds and borders.
A 12-inch tulip planted behind two-foot perennials is a tulip nobody is going to see.
Instead, bring it forward.
The RHS recommends ‘Foxtrot’ for flower beds and borders, cottage and informal gardens, containers, underplanting roses and shrubs, and cut-flower gardens.
Its compact stature also makes it especially useful where spring winds can batter taller tulips.
The flowers themselves are quite heavy, however. Double tulips carry a considerable load of petals, particularly after rain, so some protection from violent spring weather is advantageous.
Plant It in Generous Groups
‘Foxtrot’ is far more effective planted in groups or drifts than scattered singly around the garden.
Ten bulbs will make a pleasant clump.
Twenty-five will create a proper display.
Fifty planted in a broad drift can create a remarkable pool of shifting ivory, blush and rose.
Because the flowers themselves vary slightly in color as they mature, mass planting doesn't produce the monotonous effect that sometimes occurs with a large block of a single-color tulip.
The individual flowers provide the variation.
Pink and Blue
One of the finest combinations is ‘Foxtrot’ with blue grape hyacinths (Muscari).
Specialist bulb sellers specifically recommend the pairing, and it isn't difficult to see why.
The grape hyacinths form a low blue carpet beneath the larger pink tulips.
Other small blue spring flowers can perform the same service. Siberian squill, forget-me-nots and blue violas all provide cool contrast against Foxtrot's warm pink.
The combination has an old-fashioned spring-garden quality that is difficult to improve upon.
Try It With White
White brings out the softer side of ‘Foxtrot’.
Plant it among white tulips or white narcissus, and the ivory portions of the young Foxtrot flowers connect the two colors.
As the blossoms mature and become pinker, the contrast gradually strengthens.
That changing relationship makes the planting more interesting from week to week.
Cream flowers work particularly well if you want something gentler than pure white.
Pair It With Deep Purple
For greater drama, add deep purple, plum or nearly black tulips.
Now the soft pink becomes luminous.
The trick is not to use too much of the dark color. Let ‘Foxtrot’ dominate, with smaller groups of dark tulips providing punctuation.
A little darkness makes pastel colors more interesting.
Too much and spring begins looking suspiciously like November.
Excellent Beneath Roses
The RHS specifically suggests ‘Foxtrot’ for underplanting roses and shrubs.
That is a particularly sensible use.
When ‘Foxtrot’ is flowering, deciduous roses are usually producing foliage but haven't yet reached their great summer display. The tulips occupy the stage while the roses are preparing backstage.
As the tulips finish and their foliage begins to decline, the roses take over.
This is one of the secrets of good garden design: use the same ground for different performances at different times of year.
Made for Containers
If there were a tulip designed for pots, ‘Foxtrot’ would make a strong candidate.
Its compact growth, sturdy stems and large flowers make it particularly well suited to containers, and both the RHS and professional growers recommend it for this purpose.
Plant the bulbs fairly densely in a broad terracotta pot.
They need very little else.
For a more elaborate display, tuck low blue violas, forget-me-nots or grape hyacinths around the tulips.
Place the container near an entrance, patio or sitting area where the flowers can be seen—and smelled—at close range.
A Fine Cut Flower
‘Foxtrot’ is also an excellent cut tulip.
Its stems are unusually sturdy for such a compact plant, and professional growers value it for cut-flower production. Johnny's notes that stems can be harvested longer by pulling the entire plant rather than merely cutting above ground level, while Rotteveel Bulb Company describes ‘Foxtrot’ as having an exceptionally long vase life and being widely used in arrangements.
A vase filled entirely with these peony-like pink flowers needs very little embellishment.
The fragrance doesn't hurt, either.
Growing ‘Foxtrot’
Plant the bulbs in autumn in fertile, well-drained soil.
The RHS recommends a sunny position, protection from strong winds and excessive winter wet, and a planting depth of approximately 4 to 6 inches.
American bulb growers sometimes recommend planting tulips somewhat deeper, around 6 to 8 inches.
Good drainage is more important than quibbling over an inch.
Tulips tolerate winter remarkably well when dormant underground. What they don't appreciate is sitting in stagnant water.
After flowering, remove the spent blossoms if you intend to keep the bulbs, but allow the foliage to yellow naturally.
Don't Expect It to Behave Like a Daffodil
Double Early tulips are not among the most dependable perennial tulips.
Johnny's specifically notes that ‘Foxtrot’ does not naturalize or perennialize readily, while White Flower Farm likewise cautions that Double Early tulips are generally less reliable for repeat performance than groups such as Darwin Hybrids and species tulips.
That doesn't mean the bulbs cannot return.
In good conditions they may.
But if you want a lavish display every spring, it is safer to regard ‘Foxtrot’ primarily as a high-impact bedding and container tulip, supplementing the planting with fresh bulbs when necessary.
An Award-Winning Tulip
‘Foxtrot’ has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, an indication that its appeal isn't based on appearance alone.
It combines several unusually desirable qualities: double peony-like flowers, changing coloration, fragrance, compact growth and sturdy stems.
Those attributes make it equally at home in a cottage border, a formal spring bed, a large terracotta pot or a vase on the dining-room table.
A Tulip That Knows a Few Steps
The historical origin of the name ‘Foxtrot’ remains uncertain, and “Foxtrot Paris” appears to be a commercial variation of the accepted cultivar name rather than a separate old Dutch cultivar. But the association with the dance is too fitting to ignore.
The foxtrot is supposed to be smooth, graceful and flowing.
So is this tulip.
Its flowers begin in ivory and blush, gradually deepen through pink and rose, and sit on short sturdy stems above fresh spring foliage.
Plant it beside blue grape hyacinths. Put it beneath roses. Fill a terracotta pot with it. Or plant fifty bulbs in a sweeping drift and allow those shifting shades of pink to do the work.
‘Foxtrot’ may not actually have been named for the dance—but in the spring garden, it certainly knows the steps.
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