Classic tulips
For simple elegance plus a vast variety of colours and colour combinations, choose classic tulips, says Graham Rice
WE all know what tulips look like – the gobletshaped flowers on upright stems are instantly recognisable, and the range of colours is amazing!
OK, so perhaps there’s no ‘true blue’ in the tulip’s colour palette, but there’s everything else, from white to black and every tone between. There are also pretty feathered and patterned types that drove 18th century fanatics to great wealth, or bankruptcy, as the bubble inflated and then burst.
These classic tulips are simple and stately, with single flowers like wine glasses, and they are divided into five main groups.
Early single tulips
Flowers open on relatively short and sturdy stems in late March and April. Look for: ‘Apricot Beauty’ (apricot), ‘Prinses Irene’ (orange with purple streaks). H: 20-40cm (8-16in).
Mid-season tulips
Compact, with strong stems, essential between the early and late varieties. Sometimes includes Triumph. Look for: ‘Brown Sugar’ (coppery bronze), ‘Negrita’ (deep purple). H: 40-50cm (16-20in).
Darwin hybrid tulips
Featuring the largest flowers of the classically shaped tulips in late April and May. Look for: ‘Apeldoorn’s Elite’ (red and gold), ‘Pink Impression’ (two-tone pink). H: 45-60cm (18-24in).
Lily-flowering tulips
With pointed petals arching outwards at the tips, these early and mid-May varieties are stylish. Look for: ‘Fly Away’ (orange and gold), ‘White Triumphator’ (white). H: 45-70cm (18-28in).
Single late (May-flowering) tulips
Flowering through May, are best in a sheltered site. Look for: ‘Dreamland’ (pink and white), ‘Queen of Night’ (almost black). H: 45-70cm (18-28in).
‘Apeldoorn’s Elite’ AGM
Brilliant-red flowers with a vanilla fragrance, in late April and May, hazing into orange at the edges of the petals.
Type of tulip: Darwin hybrid.
Good for: Large containers placed where you can appreciate the scent.
Planting partners: Wallflowers in any of the fiery shades.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 55cm (22in). ‘White Triumphator’ AGM
One of the most elegant tulips, the white flowers feature a faint green haze and pointed tips.
Type of tulip: Lily-flowering.
Good for: Late displays in sunny beds and borders, large containers.
Planting partners: Blue forget-me-nots or cynoglossums, crimson wallflowers.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 60cm (24in). ‘Pink Impression’ AGM
These tulips have tall stems that carry pale rosy-pink flowers, darkening towards the base, and with light coppery tints on the backs of the buds that fade as the flowers mature.
Type of tulip: Darwin hybrid.
Good for: A sheltered situation.
Planting partners: Yellow doronicums.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 55cm (22in). ‘Fly Away’
Vivid scarlet-orange flowers with distinctive pointed tips that roll back as the flowers open to reveal yellow and orange interior. Nothing if not dramatic.
Type of tulip: Lily-flowering.
Good for: Sunny borders.
Planting partners: Plant in front of bronze-leaved physocarpus or cotinus.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 60cm (2ft). ‘Brown Sugar’
Lightly scented coppery flowers with hazy red tinges, all becoming richer in tone as the flowers mature.
Type of tulip: Mid-season.
Good for: Cutting, with strong stems and long-lasting flowers.
Planting partners: ‘Apricot Beauty’ for a succession of colour in similar shades.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 50cm (20in). ‘Negrita’
Deep-purple flowers, with even darker veins, feature a small blue basal mark edged in cream.
Type of tulip: Mid-season.
Good for: Flowering year after year.
Planting partners: Silver foliage, largeleaved chartreuse heucheras, or white wallflowers.
Hardiness: RHS H6.
Height: 45cm (18in).