For centuries, tulip breeders chased an almost impossible dream: a truly black tulip.
They came remarkably close. Cultivars such as ‘Queen of Night’ produced flowers so dark that, under certain conditions, they appeared black. But look closely in good light and the truth emerged: they were actually very deep shades of purple or maroon.
Then came ‘Paul Scherer’.
Its flowers are an extraordinarily deep purple-black—velvety, brooding and sometimes convincingly black from even a modest distance. The Royal Horticultural Society describes the color simply as “very dark purple-black throughout.”
It is one of the darkest tulips available, and its story is tied directly to the long-running effort to produce the elusive black tulip.
When Was ‘Paul Scherer’ Developed?
‘Paul Scherer’ was bred by Dutch tulip breeder Geert Hageman, whose work on black tulips began during the late 1970s.
An account of Hageman's breeding work reports that in 1979 he crossed some of the darkest tulips then available, eventually raising thousands of seedlings from the resulting seed.
It was painstaking work.
Tulips grown from seed don't flower immediately. Bulbs must develop for several years before a breeder can finally see what sort of flower a particular seedling will produce.
According to the same historical account, Hageman was leaving his greenhouse shortly after midnight on February 18, 1986, when he noticed an exceptionally dark flower among his seedlings. It was the culmination of years of breeding toward the blackest possible tulip.
The cultivar is therefore commonly dated to 1986 as its breeding or selection date. Another horticultural history likewise identifies it as a cultivar bred by Hageman in 1986.
But that wasn't when gardeners could buy it.
Eleven More Years of Waiting
Finding an exceptional tulip is only the beginning.
A new tulip exists initially as a single bulb or a very small number of bulbs. Unlike an annual plant, it cannot simply be multiplied rapidly from thousands of seeds while remaining genetically identical.
The bulb has to produce offsets, those offsets must grow, and those in turn must produce more offsets.
Consequently, Hageman reportedly spent another eleven years building sufficient stock for commercial introduction.
That places its commercial introduction around 1997.
So there are really two useful dates associated with ‘Paul Scherer’:
1986 — Hageman selected the remarkable dark seedling.
About 1997 — sufficient stock had been produced for commercial introduction.
That distinction explains why different sources sometimes give different dates for tulip cultivars. “Introduced,” “registered,” “selected” and “released commercially” do not necessarily mean the same thing.
Who Was Paul Scherer?
Here the story becomes particularly interesting.
According to the historical account of Hageman's breeding program, the tulip was named for Paul Scherer, the mayor of a German city. Hageman reportedly considered several names during the long years required to build up commercial stock before finally settling upon ‘Paul Scherer’.
Unfortunately, readily available horticultural sources provide frustratingly little additional information about the man himself or the precise circumstances connecting him with Hageman.
So it would be unwise to embroider the story.
What we can reasonably say is that the cultivar commemorates a German mayor named Paul Scherer, rather than describing the flower's color or appearance.
It is a rather understated name for such a dramatic flower.
Is It Really a Black Tulip?
Well...
Almost.
And that qualification matters.
There is no truly jet-black pigment in tulips comparable to black ink or coal. What we perceive as black in the darkest tulips is actually an extremely concentrated dark purple.
‘Paul Scherer’ pushes that coloration remarkably far.
The RHS describes it as dark purple-black, while specialist bulb supplier John Scheepers describes the flowers as purple-black with an ivory interior base covered by a lilac veil.
In bright sunlight, the purple becomes more apparent.
On an overcast day, at dusk or when contrasted against pale flowers, ‘Paul Scherer’ can look remarkably close to black.
Perhaps that is actually more interesting than genuine black would be. The petals possess subtle changes of color as the light moves across their velvety surfaces.
Black would merely be black.
‘Paul Scherer’ has shadows.
What Type of Tulip Is ‘Paul Scherer’?
‘Paul Scherer’ is a Triumph tulip.
The RHS places it firmly within the Triumph Group, whose members produce single, cup-shaped flowers during the middle and later portions of the tulip season.
Triumph tulips are among the most useful tulips for ordinary gardens.
The class developed from crosses involving Single Early and later-flowering tulips, producing plants that combine the traditional tulip shape with strong stems, useful height and dependable midseason flowering. Modern bulb specialists continue to value Triumphs both for landscape planting and forcing.
‘Paul Scherer’ generally grows around 17 to 20 inches tall. The RHS gives a maximum height of approximately 50 cm, while commercial growers commonly list it around 18 inches.
The flowers are beautifully proportioned—broad-based, egg-shaped cups carried on strong upright stems.
The form is thoroughly traditional.
The color most certainly isn't.
Darker Than ‘Queen of Night’?
‘Queen of Night’ has long been the standard against which dark tulips are judged.
But ‘Paul Scherer’ may actually be darker.
John Scheepers notes that some consider it darker than ‘Queen of Night’, and there is another important distinction between them: ‘Paul Scherer’ flowers earlier. It can bloom roughly two weeks before ‘Queen of Night’.
That gives the gardener an interesting opportunity.
Plant both.
‘Paul Scherer’ can begin the dark-tulip display during the Triumph season, while ‘Queen of Night’ continues it later.
Add a dark Double Late such as ‘Black Hero’, and the succession can be extended still further.
A black-tulip garden needn't be confined to a single week.
How to Use ‘Paul Scherer’ in the Landscape
Dark flowers require a little thought.
Plant ‘Paul Scherer’ against dark soil or in front of dense evergreen foliage, and from a distance the flowers can simply disappear.
Give them contrast.
The RHS recommends the cultivar for beds and borders, edging, cottage gardens, containers and cutting gardens.
Its moderate height makes it particularly useful through the front and middle portions of borders, where the flowers can be seen closely enough to appreciate their unusual coloring.
And, as with most tulips, plant more than one or two.
A solitary black tulip looks curious.
Twenty-five look intentional.
Black and White
Perhaps the most dramatic combination is also the simplest:
‘Paul Scherer’ and white tulips.
A planting of ivory or pure white flowers interspersed with these nearly black cups creates tremendous contrast. Horticultural sources specifically recommend white as a companion for ‘Paul Scherer’.
The white makes the dark tulips appear darker.
The dark tulips make the white appear brighter.
Neither color has to do much work.
For a formal garden, plant the two in broad blocks or ribbons. In a more informal border, allow groups of dark flowers to emerge irregularly through a larger planting of white.
Black and Pink
Pink produces an entirely different effect.
Soft blush, shell pink or rose-colored tulips beside ‘Paul Scherer’ create a surprisingly elegant combination. Growers also specifically recommend pink flowers as companions.
Pale pink is particularly effective because it softens what might otherwise become a rather severe color scheme.
Deep rose makes the planting richer and more dramatic.
You could even combine ‘Paul Scherer’ with a large pink Darwin Hybrid, provided the bloom periods overlap sufficiently in your climate.
Try Apricot and Peach
One of my favorite ways to use almost-black flowers is beside apricot, peach or salmon.
The warm colors seem to glow against the dark purple.
A combination with an apricot-colored early or midseason tulip can be exceptionally sophisticated, though flowering times should be checked carefully when mixing classes.
The object isn't necessarily to alternate bulbs one-for-one.
Plant generous irregular groups of each color and allow them to mingle at their edges.
Nature seldom plants checkerboards.
Neither should we.
Silver Foliage
There is another possibility that doesn't involve another tulip at all.
‘Paul Scherer’ looks excellent against silver or gray foliage. Horticultural recommendations specifically mention silver foliage as an effective companion for its dark flowers.
The contrast can be remarkable.
Low silver-leaved plants beneath the dark tulips provide a cool background without competing for attention.
Green foliage says spring.
Silver foliage says something rather more mysterious.
Plant It in Containers
‘Paul Scherer’ is particularly effective in containers, where the flowers can be examined at close range. Both the RHS and specialty growers recommend it for container culture.
A large terracotta pot filled entirely with ‘Paul Scherer’ can be magnificent.
For something more elaborate, combine the bulbs with low white or pale pink spring flowers.
A light-colored container can also provide useful contrast. Against pale stone or weathered terracotta, the flowers become much easier to see than they would against a black pot.
An Excellent Cut Flower
Those strong Triumph stems also make ‘Paul Scherer’ an excellent cut tulip.
Floret describes it as weather-resistant, long-lasting and especially effective arranged en masse, with a vase life of roughly seven to ten days under suitable conditions.
The color is particularly useful to flower arrangers because it provides something ordinary red and purple tulips cannot: visual depth.
Combine it with cream, white, blush pink or apricot.
Or put a dozen ‘Paul Scherer’ stems in a vase by themselves.
They need very little assistance.
Growing ‘Paul Scherer’
Plant bulbs in autumn in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.
The RHS recommends planting approximately 4 to 6 inches deep, with protection from excessive wet and severe wind. Some American bulb specialists recommend somewhat deeper planting—around 6 to 8 inches—for Triumph tulips.
As always with tulips, drainage is important.
After flowering, remove the spent flowers if you intend to retain the bulbs, but allow the foliage to yellow naturally.
Those leaves are feeding next year's bulb.
If you cut flowers for arrangements and hope for future flowering, leave plenty of foliage behind. Floret recommends retaining at least two sets of leaves when harvesting tulips intended to perennialize.
An Award-Winning Tulip
‘Paul Scherer’ eventually received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, recognition that the plant possesses genuine garden value beyond the novelty of its color.
That is worth emphasizing.
A nearly black tulip might easily have been nothing more than a breeder's curiosity.
Instead, ‘Paul Scherer’ combines its extraordinary color with the practical virtues of the Triumph class: strong stems, classic flower form, useful height and good landscape performance.
The Nearly Black Tulip
The fascination with black tulips is centuries old.
Breeders pursued them. Gardeners coveted them. Writers imagined them. Alexandre Dumas even built his 1850 novel The Black Tulip around the obsessive quest to produce one.
Geert Hageman took up that same horticultural challenge in the twentieth century.
Beginning with crosses made in 1979, he eventually discovered his exceptional dark seedling in 1986. After another eleven years of multiplication, gardeners could finally grow it themselves.
The result was ‘Paul Scherer’.
Technically, it isn't black.
Stand in bright sunshine and look closely and you will find the purple.
But plant fifty of them among white tulips and view them across the spring garden on a cloudy afternoon.
You may decide that “almost black” is quite black enough.
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