tulip fever RHS Harlow Carr is bursting with gorgeous blooms
RHS Harlow Carr is famed for its spectacular displays of bulbs in spring, and tulips are a favourite through April and into May. Varying in shape, size and colour from delicate pastel tones to deepest velvety black, they put on a dazzling show.
THE TULIP has always been a sought-after
and cherished bulb. First cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), tulips were introduced to Holland in the 17th century during the Dutch ‘Golden Age’. Tulip bulbs would trade for hundreds of times the average worker’s annual wage during this extraordinary period of ‘Tulip Fever’, before the market crashed, and prices fell to nothing. Tulips enjoy free-draining soil in full sun. At Harlow Carr they grow successfully in impressive container displays where the required conditions are easily achieved with a mix of John Innes Number 2 and multipurpose compost. Horticultural grit can be added to loosen the mix, particularly if growing species tulips. Due to the heavy, wet conditions in the garden at Harlow Carr, tulips in the field benefit from extra soil preparation to lighten the soil.
The Harlow Carr Alpine House plays host to a small collection of species tulips. Species tulips are tulips that naturally occur in the wild. They tend to be smaller but far better at repeat flowering than cultivated tulips. They love a well-drained medium to grow in, so use at least a 50:50 grit-to-compost mix in deep terracotta pots.
Dales Life | SPRING 2021 |
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