Top tulip tips

It’s time to order tulip bulbs, and here the people behind some of Britain’s best displays reveal their favourite varieties

Planning a display of tul ips next spr ing? Then it’s high time you ordered your bulbs – but they shouldn’t be planted until the colder weather arrives in November or December.

But how on earth do you choose between fringed tulips, parrot tulips, peony-flowered tulips, or triumph tulips, to name just some of the varieties that are available?

Even the experts admit the choice can be overwhelming. Martin Duncan, head gardener at Arundel Castle in West Sussex (arundelcastle.org), will be planting 60,000 tulip bulbs with his team this autumn, and says, ‘We spend a long time discussing which tulips to plant. For 2018 we’re using 87 different ones.’

For containers, Martin likes fringed tulips like white ‘Honeymoon’ or the vibrant red ‘Barbados’, but for real impact, he recommends ‘El Nino’. ‘It’s a showstopper in shades of orange, yellow and red, and a massive 25cm across when it’s fully open,’ he says.

Keith Boylett, head gardener at Pashley Manor in East Sussex (pashleymanorgardens.com), is a big fan of the pink peony-flowered ‘Angelique’. ‘It’s a very reliable variety which we underplant with pink forget-me-nots,’ he says. Keith and his team plant around 30,000 tulips and over 100 varieties every year. When pressed to choose his favourite, he opts for ‘Abu Hassan’. ‘I love the combination of deep burgundy-red with golden yellow edges,’ he says.

At Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire (cheniesmanorhouse.co.uk), owner Boo Macleod Matthews oversees the planting of 8,000 tulips in colour-coordinated beds. ‘Our trusted favourites are ‘White Triumphator’, which we underplant with blue forget-me-not; vibrant orange ‘Ballerina’; ‘Angelique’; and ‘Apple Blossom’, which is blousy and romantic,’ says Boo. ‘This year we’re trying some new varieties including deep pink ‘Night Club’ and ‘Boa Vista’, a new artichoke-style tulip, very fashionable at the moment – it’s a green flower, tipped with rose at the edges.’

Harewood House in Yorkshire (harewood.org) doubles as both Bucking- ham Palace and Kensington Palace in the TV series Victoria. The team uses 10,000 tulips in the magnificent formal parterre, in beds and borders and in the grassy banks. Head gardener Trevor Nicholson likes ‘Carnaval de Nice’, with its crisp white and red markings; the exquisite pale pink ‘Rosalie’; and the subtly shaded ‘ Spring Green’. Above: Arundel Castle in West

Sussex. Below left: the ‘ Boa Vista’ artichoke-style tulip

‘We’re also using some new varieties this year like magenta ‘Antraciet’, pink ‘Synaeda Amor’ and orange and coral ‘Annie Schilder’,’ Trevor says.

Philippa Burrough is famous for her annual display of 10,000 tulips at Ulting Wick in Essex (ultingwickgarden.co. uk). She plants around 60 varieties. ‘For next year I’ll have lots of pink ‘Survivor’, which is a beautiful tall, strong tulip,’ she says. ‘I like ‘Paul Scherer’, which is darker and bigger than the better-known ‘Queen of the Night’. I also love the creamy white ‘Angel’s Wish’, which has long-lasting blooms.’

This year Philippa was particularly pleased with ‘Fontainebleau’, a deep mahogany red with white edges; the exotic ‘Abu Hassan’; and the hot pink ‘Jazz’. But if she had to choose just one tulip variety, it would be orange ‘Ballerina’. ‘It’s deservedly famous – scented and with slender leaves so it’s ideal for threading through other plants. It’s the perfect tulip,’ she says.