Greig's tulip

Greig's tulip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low plant 20–30 cm tall, with a spread of about 15 cm per bulb.

Leaves

Broad, grey-green, often wavy and spreading flat, with purple-brown stripes or blotches.

Flower

Large, cup-shaped flowers with pointed petals, opening wide in the sun, in April–May.

Colour

Red, orange, yellow, pink or cream, often bicoloured or with a dark blotch in the centre.

Bulb

A brown, pointed bulb that needs a dry summer rest and forms small offsets.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: October–December

Why grow it?

• The striped or mottled leaves are lovely even before flowering.
• Large, brightly coloured flowers on short stems that do not blow over.
• Ideal for the front of the border, rock gardens, pots and containers.
• In sunny, free-draining soil it returns more reliably than many large garden tulips.
• A cheerful spring flower after the crocuses and early daffodils.

Greig's tulip: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade the flowers do not open properly and the bulb weakens.
• Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moist; in wet soil the bulbs rot. A dry summer suits it well.
• Plant the bulbs about 10 cm apart, in groups of at least ten.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Grape hyacinth: Blue spikes around the red and orange tulips, flowering at the same time.
• Forget-me-not: A light blue underplanting in borders or pots.
• Horned violet: Colourful, low flowers in pots and at the front of the border.
• Moss phlox: A flowering carpet in April–May, also in full sun.
• Dwarf daffodils: Yellow and white in the same spring edging, flowering just a little earlier.

Greig's tulip: when and how to plant it?

Plant in October–December.

1. Plant in October–December, once the soil has cooled. Planting late reduces the risk of tulip fire.
2. Dig a hole or trench 10–15 cm deep, about three times the height of the bulb.
3. In heavy soil, put a layer of coarse sand or gravel in the bottom so water does not collect.
4. Set the bulbs pointed end up, about 10 cm apart, and cover with soil.
5. In pots: use free-draining compost with some sand, and a pot with a drainage hole.

Care

Water

Usually not needed. Only in pots and in a dry spring, give some water while it is growing.

Feeding

Scatter some compost or organic fertiliser as the shoots appear; the bulb then builds up strength better.

Deadheading

Snip or snap off the flower after flowering, so the bulb does not waste energy on seed.

Leaves

Leave the leaves for at least six weeks after flowering, until they turn yellow and come away easily.

Lifting

Not needed in free-draining soil. In wet soil, lift the bulbs in June–July and store them dry until autumn.

Tip: The purple-striped or mottled leaves are attractive even before flowering. Put it at the front of the border or in a pot, where you can see those leaves well.

Greig's tulip: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. After flowering, just remove the faded flower and leave the leaves.

How:

• Snip or snap off the faded flower just below the bloom; leave the stem.
• Let the leaves turn yellow and die back naturally; do not plait or knot them.
• Only remove the leaves when they are completely yellow and come away easily.

Caution: Never cut the leaves off while green: without leaves the bulb will flower poorly or not at all next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Lift the bulbs in June–July when the leaves have died back, separate the offsets, store them dry and airy and plant them in autumn. They flower after a few years.

Seed

Possible, but it takes years to the first flowers, and varieties do not come true. In the garden, propagate by offsets.

Greig's tulip: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C. The bulbs even need a cold winter to flower.
• In the open ground no protection is needed.
• In pots: raise the pot on feet so it does not stand in water, and wrap it or move it against a wall in hard frost.

Diseases and pests

• Tulip fire: A fungus that causes brown spots, distorted leaves and shrivelled shoots in wet weather. Remove sick plants straight away, plant late and not in the same spot every year.
• Mice and voles: They eat the bulbs or carry them off. Plant them in a wire basket or in pots.
• Aphids: On young shoots and on stored bulbs. Spray them off with water and check bulbs before planting.
• Bulb rot: Soft, rotting bulbs in wet soil. Plant in free-draining soil and throw away soft bulbs.

Through the year

• January: Wrap pots in hard frost.
• March: The striped leaves appear. Watch for slugs and aphids.
• April: Flowering.
• May: Remove faded flowers. Leave the leaves.
• June: The leaves die back. Lift if needed.
• July: Store lifted bulbs dry and airy.
• October: Plant bulbs.
• November: Plant bulbs.
• December: Plant the last bulbs, as long as the ground is not frozen.

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?

• The species is named after Samuel Greig, a nineteenth-century president of the Russian Horticultural Society.
• In the wild it grows on dry mountain slopes with cold winters and hot, dry summers. That is why the bulb needs a dry summer rest.
• Greigii tulips form a group of their own in the official classification of tulips; the striped leaves are their hallmark.