If you have never grown Viridiflora tulips you have missed a treat, as they have elegant striped blooms and are marvellous specimens for flower arranging. The blooms are single, cup or almost bowl shaped, with petals (tepals) in delicate colours shaded with green. Sometimes the blooms are almost entirely green with just a hint of another colour. 'Greenland' has prettily shaded tepals whose centres are pale green, edged with a creamy yellow and old rose pink margins. The flowers appear in late spring on stems up to about 20 inches and have leaves some sixteen inches long. Viridiflora tulips are ideal in mixed borders and should be planted in well drained, fertile soil in full sun, protected from strong winds.
Propagation: Separate offsets after lifting in summer, replant and grow on. |
This tulip, with its strong upright stems and elegant flowers, was such a reliable performer last season that I am planting it again this year. The large blooms are a pretty rose and cream colour; cream at first, the pink coming into its own as they mature. 'Meissner Porzellan' is a Triumph tulip, so normally starts flowering about the end of April, but last year in my garden the flowers appeared later and lasted right through May. It grows up to about 22 inches and has leaves about fourteen inches long. It makes a great cut flower, but you may enjoy it so much in the garden you will be loath to bring it inside. It should be grown in fertile, well drained soil in full sun and sheltered from strong winds.
Propagation: Separate offsets after lifting in summer and grow on. |
'Arabian Mystery' has a beguiling name, and this mid-season Triumph tulip has exotically coloured flowersin a dark purple with a narrow band of silver white around their margins. It has strong stems, leaves up to fourteen inches long and long lasting flowers, so is good for general planting. This autumn, plant some under a line of Malus trilobata. The crab apple's blossom should accentuate the tulips' silver lines, and the purple will complement the bronze tinged malus leaves. When planting tulips, it is good to place sand in the planting hole to improve drainage and to plant the bulbs about six inches deep in fertile soil.
Propagation: Separate offsets after lifting in summer then replant and grow on. |
