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.

Paul Cook is curator of RHS Garden Harlow Carr, responsible for managing and developing the garden’s plant collections. Here are five of his favourite tulips.

‘BALLERINA’

A burnt orange, lily-flowered tulip with dainty, fluted tangerine petals and a honey scent. This is a good choice for domestic gardens and clay soils. ‘Ballerina’ has survived three winters in the ground in Harlow Carr’s scented garden – pretty good going for a tulip!

‘DON QUICHOTTE’

A classic Triumph-group tulip with strong, dark pink blooms. Looks stunning with the inky black of ‘Paul Scherer’ in a container display.

‘PRINSES IRENE’

A small, delicate, cup-shaped, soft-orange single early tulip with an unusual purple flame decoration on the tepals. Teamed with the darker orange ‘Hermitage’ and the bright yellow ‘Prinses Margriet’ – both of which share the purple tepals – it’s simply gorgeous.

‘PURISSIMA’

One of the earliest of the tulips, this Fosterianagroup tulip is pure white. It’s short (40cm) in comparison to the others mentioned, but for successional planting it’s a great choice to kick-start a display.

‘WEST POINT’

A zingy citrus-yellow, lily-flowered, fluted tulip. Stately and very upright, it generated a chorus of ‘oohs and aahs’ from visitors when we planted it en masse in our front-of-house containers together with tulip ‘Spring Green’.

Plan now for brilliant bulbs

Bulbs are some of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow, with options to suit both flower beds and containers. There are even some that will naturalise through grass. Right now, with bulbs in full bloom, may seem a strange time to start thinking about next year’s plans. But take the time to look around you – enjoy all the beautiful colours and scents – and you’ll find plenty of inspiration to help you decide how you want your own garden to look this time next year. Harlow Carr’s Plant Centre will be stocked with a good range of potted tulips in May, so visitors can take a little piece of Harlow Carr home with them – or pre-order bulbs and plant them in autumn for a striking display next spring. rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr

PREVIOUS PAGE: TOP LEFT Ballerina. TOP CENTRE Purissima. TOP RIGHT Prinses Irene. BOTTOM Tulip border in Harlow Carr. THIS PAGE: LEFT West Point. RIGHT Don Quichotte (behind) Arabian Mystery (front).

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