Lady tulip

Lady tulip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Slender tulip of 25–30 cm tall, with thin but sturdy stems.

Leaves

Narrow, linear and grey-green, a few per bulb.

Flower

Slim and pointed in bud, star-shaped when open in sun. Outer petals crimson with a white edge on the outside, the inside white with a deep purple centre. The form chrysantha is yellow and red.

Flowering habit

The flowers open in sunshine and close in the evening and in dull weather.

Bulb

Small brown bulb that sometimes forms underground runners with new bulbs on them.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: October–November

Why grow it?

• A graceful, slender tulip with red and white flowers that spring open like stars in the sun.
• Returns every year and slowly spreads in a good spot, unlike many large garden tulips.
• Drought tolerant: ideal for a gravel garden, a rock garden or a sunny strip at the foot of a wall.
• Flowers in April–May, lovely with other spring flowers and low herbs.
• Also suits a pot or trough with free-draining compost.

Lady tulip: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and the warmest spot in the garden, for example against a south-facing wall or in a gravel bed.
• Poor to moderately fertile, very free-draining soil: sand or loam with grit, neutral to chalky.
• Dry, especially in summer: after flowering the bulb wants a warm, dry rest. On wet soil it soon disappears.
• Plant 8–10 cm apart, in groups of ten or more.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: A low, fragrant ground cover for the same dry, sunny spot.
• Stonecrop: Succulents that cover the ground after flowering and need no water.
• Grape hyacinth: Blue flowers that bloom at the same time and set off the red and white tulip.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that look lovely with the grey-green tulip leaves.
• Lavender: Takes over the show in summer, while the tulip rests underground.

Lady tulip: when and how to plant it?

Plant in October–November.

1. Plant the bulbs in October–November; waiting until after the first cold nights reduces the risk of tulip fire.
2. On heavier soil, mix plenty of gravel or grit into the planting hole.
3. Plant the bulbs 15 cm deep, pointed end up: planted deeper, they keep flowering for longer.
4. Space the bulbs 8–10 cm apart.
5. After planting, only water if the soil is bone dry.
6. Mulch with a 2–3 cm layer of gravel: it keeps the bulb dry and warm.

Care

Water

Usually not needed. After flowering, from June, the soil can stay completely dry.

Feeding

Little needed: on poor soil, some bulb fertiliser or compost in spring.

Deadheading

Cut off the seed pod after flowering so the plant puts its energy into the new bulb.

Foliage

Leave the leaves until they turn yellow, usually in June.

Pots

In a pot or trough, plant in a mix of potting compost and grit and put the pot somewhere dry after flowering.

Tip: Plant it among lavender, thyme or rosemary: they get no summer watering either, and that dryness is exactly what this tulip needs.

Lady tulip: when to prune it?

When: This tulip is not pruned. After flowering, simply remove the seed pod and let the leaves die back.

How:

• Cut off the faded flower with its seed pod, just above the top leaf.
• Leave the stem and leaves until they turn yellow.
• Tidy away the dead leaves in June.

Caution: Do not cut off the green leaves: the bulb needs them to recharge for next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets and runners

In a good spot it forms underground runners with new bulbs. Every few years, lift a clump in June–July once the foliage has died back, store the bulbs dry and replant them in October–November.

Seed

Possible but slow: seedlings take four to five years to flower.

Lady tulip: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −20 °C: frost is no problem.
• Wet soil in winter is dangerous, though: plant in gravel or in a raised spot.
• In winter, shelter pots from too much rain, for example under an overhang, but keep them outside in the cold.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: On wet soil the bulbs rot and the tulip disappears after a year. Plant in gravel in a dry, sunny spot.
• Tulip fire: Brown spots and distorted, shrivelled leaves and flowers, with grey mould in damp weather. Remove diseased plants bulb and all, do not plant too early and do not plant tulips in the same spot every year.
• Mice: Voles and mice eat the bulbs. Plant in a wire mesh basket.
• Few flowers: Too much shade, or soil that is too rich or too wet. Move the bulbs to a warmer, drier spot.

Through the year

• March: The leaves appear. On poor soil, give some bulb fertiliser.
• April: Flowering: the flowers open in the sun.
• May: Last flowers. Remove the seed pods.
• June: Let the leaves die back, then tidy them away. Keep the soil dry.
• July: Rest. Lift congested clumps if needed and store the bulbs dry.
• October: Plant bulbs 15 cm deep, in gravel.
• November: Plant. Add a gravel mulch.
• December: Rest. Protect pots from too much rain.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Tulips are poisonous, especially the bulbs: they cause vomiting and diarrhoea, in horses too, and in cats and dogs that dig up or chew the bulbs. A tulip bulb looks like an onion or shallot but does not smell of onion when cut. So never store bulbs you lift after flowering with the vegetables in the kitchen, cellar or shed, and label them. Handling lots of bulbs can cause a skin rash (tulip fingers): wear gloves when planting. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• Its French name, tulipe de l’Écluse, also refers to Clusius, whose French name was Charles de l’Écluse.
• As in many species tulips, the flowers open in sunshine and close at dusk and in dull weather.
• In a good spot it forms underground runners and slowly spreads into a small colony.