Now’s the time.  Hurry, hurry, as some of the most fashionable tulip varieties are selling out fast.  Make it your September resolution to order your tulips before the early birds catch the worms, so to speak and children return to school. 

So, what advice can I give you as you google and search for the new, the delicious and the wonderful:

Pots and Plantings

Count your pots, your spots and anything extra you can cram a tulip into.  If possible, be disciplined about how many tulips you need. (No one needs tulips but want doesn’t really convey my urge).  Make a rough list of locations and quantities bearing in mind that tulips require approximately an inch or two between bulbs to breath and flourish in a pot and can easily take a bit more space in soil, perhaps underplanted with forget-me-nots, sweet rocket or wallflowers. 

Also consider your planting style. Will you mix up different tulip varieties in pots? Or will you plant a single variety per pot like this image? I always think you can get away with fewer tulip bulbs if you are mixing varieties in the same pot.

If you are planting in the ground, will you plant your bulbs in sinuous ribbons and waves? Clumps of odd numbers of bulbs so the tulip blooms cluster together to look like a larger plant? Or spotty style like a dalmatian?

Don’t rely on bulbs you planted last year coming back next season unless you know they will i.e. they came back successfully last year.  No matter what people say, most tulips will not reliably repeat unless you plant bulbs very deep, the bulbs have been sun baked over the summer or you are lucky. So, accept tulips are one hit wonders.

All this influences the number of bulbs you buy. But in the end, it’s not worth being too precise. Tulips are sold in 10s, 25s, 50s and 100s. It’s not a science!

Suppliers and Selections

Plan your tulip campaign.  There are some amazing specialist bulbs suppliers in the UK but none of them have every bulb you might wish for. Avon Bulbs, Bloms Bulbs, de Jager, Farmer Gracy, J. Parkers, Peter Nyssen, in no particular order other than alphabetical, and apologies if I have missed anyone, are my hunting grounds of choice.  These suppliers bring bulbs over from Holland and have been doing so successfully for years.  They are the experts, and we should support them accordingly.  Sarah Raven is also a popular tulip bulb specialist, who comes up with the loveliest, newest, jewel-coloured collections.

Think about colour, shape and timings.  If would like your tulip display to last approximately 6 – 8 weeks, consider ordering a mix of early and late flowering bulbs.  They will be labelled accordingly.  Then consider shape and texture.  Do you want large or smaller (species) flowers, doubles, paeony or lily flowers, frilled, fringed, parrots or multi blossoms?  If in doubt, a tutti frutti combination is always a delightful surprise.  

Did I mention scent should be a bonus not a requirement?  The orange, lily flowered Tulipa Ballerina is a great favourite for both scent and performance, but most tulips will not bring much perfume to your garden.  Such a relief that not all tulips are perfect!

In terms of colour, although I love the bright coloured mixes, I tend to choose colours which tone well with my traditional harsh red Hampshire brickwork.  That means I don’t do the lovely, shocking pink Tulipa Barcelona close to my house or in my terracotta Whichford pots as it clashes but instead select Tulipa Apricot Beauty, Tulipa Bruine Wimpel or Tulipa Princess Irene which blend well.  

Alternatively, you can keep it simple like this image from Wollerton Old Hall where the use of a bold single colour punctuates the gentle green backdrop and positively sings Tulip time.

Colour choice is key. So if you ever want help with complementing colours, tulip shapes and textures in your garden, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Sweet Shopping

Overwhelmed with the choice? What’s in a name?  

Close your eyes and imagine what Tulipa Fireworks, Tulipa Victoria’s Secret and Tulipa Sensual Touch might look like.

I love Tulipa Marilyn which is as bold and beautiful as its namesake.

Consider the white-bloomed Tulipa Purissima or Tulipa Honeymoon for a happy coupling with just about any tulip.  

Or choose the tulip with sounds most like a sweet shop, such as the delightful and delicate Tulipa clusiana Peppermint Stick.

Whatever you order, leave space for supermarket top ups.  I try to place my main tulip bulb orders in summer, but I know I can never resist the end of the supermarket isle, by the till or ‘on sale’ online selections in October.  That’s the sweet shop analogy popping up again.  Homebase, Morrisons, Tesco and Lidl stock excellent bulbs which are much cheaper than the specialists.  The best day to swoop is usually Thursdays. Please don’t tell everyone. They are unlikely to be selling the rare and exotic but what’s not to like about the dark and sultry Tulipa Queen of the Night?

Expensive Habit

Finally, a word of warning.  Brexit has not been kind as suppliers have battled with lengthy paperwork and increased labour costs to bring us their sumptuous selections. As we spend more time in our gardens post Covid lockdowns, this year, tulip prices have increased. 

Not much changes. For hundreds of years, tulips have been the showmen of springtime and famously attracted attention, envy, intrigue, and expense. In the 17th century, the prices of fashionable tulips in the Netherlands reached extraordinary levels and then collapsed dramatically. This was the original dot com boom, known as tulip mania.  For further reading , I recommend picking up Anna Pavord’s The Tulip for her learned insights into our ongoing fascination.  

Nonetheless, tulips are flowers of exquisite beauty which will brighten and lighten any spring garden.  As a girlfriend said to me last week:

“What’s the cost of a night out for a month’s worth of happiness”. 

I certainly can’t resist and shall be popping these delectable sweets for the next few weeks!  Will you be joining me?