Now is the time to be looking through the catalogues for tulip bulbs to plant in November/December. Who doesn’t love the bold statements they make in the spring garden, harbingers of all the colour and blossom yet to come in the summer? Thankfully, these days we are not quite as mad about tulips as the Dutch were in the 1630’s at the height of Tulip Mania when, allegedly, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled artisan. Rather more affordable today, there is a wealth of tulips to choose from. Gardeners’ World magazine this month has an article by Monty Don about his favourites which is well worth reading, but which tulips can we recommend to you that we have found to do well in our Marden soil?

Our favourites

“Last summer I had my UPVC front door painted a colour called ‘daff’. As you can imagine it’s a cheerful yellow. We have had yellow African Marigolds all summer and lilac/purple pansies for the winter. Interesting though this may be, “What does it have to do with tulips?” I hear you ask… Well, whilst looking for Tête à Tête, I spotted ‘Tulipa Vendee Globe’. These are now my new favourite tulip! I’m hoping that the orangey-red will be a nice contrast to the yellow door and that the yellow of the door will set off the yellow of the tulip. I am looking forward to a cheerful front garden in the Spring.” Alison Simpson

“My favourite tulip is Lilac Perfection. A double late tulip which has long lasting blooms on sturdy stems. Perfect for cutting,but I prefer them to stay in the ground. They remind me of peony flowers. My tip for drooping tulips is to insert a pin underneath the flower head, and they stand up to attention again like magic.”Julie Nicol

“I very much like Viridiflora Tulips with their subtle green markings and their ability to come up year after year, particularly as I’m not keen on having to dig up and replace bulbs. However, even more perennial and with vibrant warm colours are the Darwin Hybrids in the Apeldoorn range. From red through orange to yellow, with various shadings and stripes, like Alison, I am looking forward to these long lasting flowers making a real impact in the spring.” Jane Cunningham

“My favourite tulip is probably Tulip sylvestris. I love most of the species tulips but I have managed to get sylvestris to naturalise in a scruffy, grassy area where it grows with wild daffodils and is the epitome of Spring in my humble opinion. It is also scented. I do like modern cultivars too, although I don't have a favourite because I like tulips best when grown in combinations - of colour, shape or tone. I have got some combinations spectacularly wrong in the past when I've chosen from a catalogue and the colour hasn't been quite what I expected, but a combination I really loved was 'Ballerina' + 'Queen of the Night' + 'Doll's Minuet'. Sadly, tulips do not do well for me, and I no longer have that particular combination.” Sue Pennicott

“It would be hard to choose my favourite tulip as I love them all – when the bulb catalogues come in the autumn I am like a kid in a sweet shop!  I generally plant up new bulbs in pots every year and once they are finished, store them and plant up in the garden later in the year. One of my favourites is Purissima – a really pretty creamy white early tulip with a long stem that is the first to flower in the spring and complements the pink hellebores I have growing in my front garden.  I planted these about 3-4 years ago and they are still going strong.   They also look great in zinc planters.” Julia Elgie

Please feel free to add your favourites in the comments box below.

Suppliers

Vendee Globe - deJager
Lilac Perfection - Farmer Gracy
Viridiflora Tulips - J.Parkers
Apeldoorn Tulips - J. Parkers
Tulip Silvestris, Ballerina, Queen of the Night, Doll's Minuet, Purissima - all available from Sarah Raven