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.
Return to GoGardenNow.com.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment