Tulipa saxatilis (Bakeri Group) ‘Lilac Wonder’

Atop a carpet of glossy, sickle-shaped leaves, pale lavender-pink flowers (up to four per stem) open in the warm sunshine to reveal a large, yellow splodge in the centre. Given the right conditions – a stony, free-draining soil that bakes during the summer months – this is a fine perennial tulip. Plant in the autumn at a depth of three times the size of the bulb, 15cm apart. I grow them through a carpet of thyme where the bulbs are protected from delving trowels during the summer. As the foliage senesces and yellows, I pluck the withered stems away. Height 30cm. Spread 25cm. Origin Garden origin. Conditions Free-draining soil; sunny site. Hardiness RHS H6. Season Spring.