TULIPA - Tulip
There are a number of Tulips that return every year. It is mostly the Botanical Tulips that make up this faithful group of Tulips; they are more closely related to their ‘ancestors’ than the cultivated, large-flowered Tulips.
To naturalise Botanical Tulips successfully a few pointers and rules need to be followed:
- Plant Tulips in a warm, sunny place. In the summer Tulips need the warmth to develop their flower buds for the following year.
- Tulips need a fertile soil, otherwise they make a lot of foliage and few flowers. Manure Tulips every year, just as they start to poke up from the ground.
- Tulips grow best on a clayey or loamy soil. Unfortunately, Tulips don’t grow as well on sandy soils. However, a sandy soil can be improved with leafmould or compost, and clay minerals.
- Plant the bulbs deep! About 12cm is best. This protects the bulb against frost and drying out.
Curious about the wild growing habitats of Tulips? To get an impression order the book ‘Going wild for Tulips’ by Eric Breed.
By following our tips naturalising tulips in your own garden is definitely worth a try!
And finally, if you’re looking for the Wild tulip you’ll find it under its botanical name Tulipa sylvestris.
