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TULIP, LUCILLE CLERC
“In the few wild species of tulip that have evolved to be pollinated by beetles rather than relying on the wind or other flying insects, the flowers are scarlet.”
In Around the World in 80 Plants, Jonathan Drori continues his fascination with plants and flowers that dates back to childhood. Enriched and enlivened by Lucille Clerc’s precise and punchy illustrations, the book is a botanical Wunderkammer, full of curious facts about the natural world, historical and social details (liquorice has been used to treat colds, relieve asthma and indigestion and as a laxative) and an undercurrent of despair at how humans are distorting and destroying biodiversity. Eating less meat and poultry would help. So would diversifying the plant species we eat.
The result is both a beautiful celebration of the plants and flowers that surround us and a quiet call to arms for change. The tulip, by the way, gets its name from the Persian word for turban.
FOR some gardeners, tulips are having a bad year. In my own garden, the normally majestic-looking bulbs are somewhat lacking, the flowers appearing closer to the base of the leaves than at the top of them, and looking a bit deformed.
It’s a problem that has faced numerous gardeners this spring and tulip expert Philippa Burrough, owner of Ulting
Wick (ultingwickgarden.co.uk), a vibrant eight-acre garden planted with thousands of tulips and spring planting, as well as dramatic late summer beds and mini annual wildflower meadows, is no exception. So, what’s it down to?
THE WEATHER IS KEY
“Our winters are getting milder, so tulips need a temperature of 45 degrees [7C] and below for roughly 10 to 12 weeks and we are just not getting it,” says Burrough, who has been opening her Essex garden up with the National Garden Scheme for charity for years. This is less of a problem in most parts of Scotland but even here, our winters are less certain than they once were.
EARLY TULIPS ARE SUFFERING MORE
She says: “The early ones get flowering earlier, they get shoots up earlier. Even when we are getting a cold snap – which happened recently – they are not becoming that cold. It’s basically a problem to do with global warming.
“A few of the tulip growers are thinking of moving their operations further north. There’s talk about going to Poland or putting tulips into cold storage. They don’t like the wet either, so that is a
problem.”
PLANT ROBUST VARIETIES
For more reliable options, Burrough says, “I think the late varieties are better, like ‘Barcelona’ (bold pink), and the late April and early May flowerers like ‘Paul Scherer’ (maroon-black), ‘City of Vancouver’ (creamy yellow) and ‘Rosalie’ (pale pink).”
PROLONGED DRY WEATHER CAN STUNT GROWTH
If you’ve planted tulips in a pot and left them close to the house, perhaps in the shelter of a porch, over the winter, that can become a problem if the pot dries out, says Burrough.
“It’s an issue when planting tulips in a pot, particularly in February which is when they actually start doing all their growth. I’ve been told that if you put them in a pot you must make sure you water them in February, because that’s when the bulbs start putting all the energy in to go up.
“I had that problem as well
– I have three pots which are half under a barn roof and half out. You think we’ll get enough rain but I have to consciously remember to water them in February, which can be our driest month.”
WATCH FOR VIRUSES
“Keep an eye out for viruses and be vigilant, so make sure you clean your pots every year. I disinfect mine. Change the compost. Never replant bulbs in the same compost and use peat-free. They need alkaline conditions. If you get a virus in your soil, you’ll have to rest it for a while.”
LIFT SOME, NOT OTHERS
“Those you can leave in the ground over winter include ‘Ballerina’ (bright orange). Others which are also really good at repeating [coming up year after year] include ‘Light and Dreamy’ (sugar pink), a midseason variety, and ‘Negrita’ (deep purple). But if you leave them in, make sure you deadhead them, leaving the energy in the bulb, and let the leaves die down naturally. Don’t cut them down or tie them up.”