Tulipa humilis

Tulipa humilis: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low bulb plant about 10 cm tall and wide, with a tuft of leaves close to the ground.

Leaves

Narrow, strap-like to linear, grey-green; often slightly arching towards the ground.

Flower

Wide-open, star-shaped flower in pink to purplish pink with a yellow centre; it opens in the sun and closes in grey, cold weather.

Bulb

Small bulb with a brown, papery skin. Over time it forms small offset bulbs.

Flowering time

March to April, earlier than most garden tulips.

Flowering: March–April · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Flowers as early as March–April, when the rock garden is still almost empty.
• Very compact (10 cm): ideal for pots, bowls, troughs and small corners.
• Early bees and bumblebees visit the open flowers on sunny days.
• As a botanical tulip it often returns for years on a dry spot, more reliably than many large hybrid tulips.
• Drought tolerant and low maintenance: it needs no watering in summer.

Tulipa humilis: where does it grow best?

• Full sun, preferably a spot that gets sun early in spring.
• Free-draining, dry to average soil: sandy or loamy, neutral to chalky. On heavy clay, mix in plenty of coarse sand or grit.
• Avoid wet spots: the soil must stay dry during the summer rest. A rock garden, a bank or a gravel bed is ideal.
• Plant in groups of 10–20 bulbs, 5–8 cm apart, so they form a colourful carpet.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Crocus: Botanical crocuses flower at the same time and make a colourful spring carpet.
• Grape hyacinth: Blue flowers contrast nicely with the pink of the tulip.
• Stonecrop: Covers the spot in summer and hides the dying foliage.
• Houseleek: A tough, drought-proof rosette that thrives in the same dry, sunny rock garden.
• Creeping thyme: A low, scented carpet between the bulbs that keeps the soil dry.

Tulipa humilis: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant in October–November (September is possible), in soil that is not too wet.
2. Dig a hole 8–10 cm deep, two to three times the height of the bulb. On heavy soil, put 2–3 cm of coarse sand or grit at the bottom.
3. Set the bulbs pointed end up, 5–8 cm apart, in groups rather than in a line.
4. Cover with soil and firm lightly. Water only if the soil is bone dry: in autumn the rain is usually enough.
5. Scatter a thin layer of fine grit over the spot: the surface stays dry and you remember where the bulbs are.

Care

Water

Only in long dry spells in autumn and in spring while the plant is growing. No water at all during the summer rest.

Feeding

Not needed on average soil. On poor sand, a light dose of bulb fertiliser after flowering can help.

Foliage

Leave the leaves in place for six to eight weeks after flowering, until they turn yellow by themselves: the bulb stores energy for next year.

Summer rest

Keep the spot dry in summer. Do not plant thirsty summer perennials that get a lot of water nearby.

In a pot

Use a pot with drainage holes and potting compost mixed with a third of coarse sand. Pack the bulbs close together, but not against the rim.

Tip: Plant the bulbs on a bed of coarse sand or grit and keep the spot dry in summer: this dwarf tulip will then return for years.

Tulipa humilis: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed. Remove faded flowers after flowering if you do not want seed; cut the leaves only when they are yellow and limp, usually in mid-June.

How:

• Snip the faded flower off just below the bloom; stem and leaves stay in place.
• Let the foliage die back completely: it holds reserves for next year.
• Pull or snip off yellow, dried-out leaves by hand or with scissors.
• Mark the spot with a small cane so you do not dig there in summer.

Caution: Never cut off green leaves or tie them in knots: the bulb will flower less 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, remove the small offset bulbs and replant them in October. Only needed every few years, for crowded clumps.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in autumn in a tray of sandy compost and leave it outdoors over winter. Flowering takes four to six years.

Tulipa humilis: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The real enemy is wet winter soil: make sure drainage is good, because the bulb rots in standing water.
• In a pot: use a frost-proof pot with holes and stand it against a wall or under the eaves so it does not get waterlogged.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: In cold, wet soil the bulbs turn soft and mouldy. Remove them and replant on a drier spot with grit or coarse sand.
• Tulip fire: A fungal disease: brown spots on the leaves, distorted shoots and grey mould. Remove affected plants and bulbs and do not plant tulips in the same place for several years.
• Rodents: Mice and squirrels dig up or eat bulbs. Plant in a wire-mesh basket or lay mesh over the top.
• Slugs: They eat young shoots in a mild spring. Collect them in the evening or lay a barrier of sharp grit.
• No flowers in the second year: Usually the leaves were cut off too early, there is too much shade or the soil is too wet. Leave the foliage and choose a dry, sunny spot.

Through the year

• March: Flowering begins: the flowers open in the sun.
• April: In flower. Remove faded flowers; leave the leaves.
• May: Let the foliage die back. No more watering.
• June: Clear the dead leaves and mark the spot.
• July: Summer rest, keep dry. Lift clumps and remove offsets if needed.
• August: Rest. Choose new bulbs.
• September: First planting, once the soil is no longer bone dry.
• October: Plant 8–10 cm deep, in groups.
• November: Last planting month before hard frost.
• December: Rest. Check that no water stands on the spot.

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.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name humilis is Latin for ‘low’ or ‘modest’, and refers to its small size.
• Many garden tulips descend from wild species from the mountains of Central and Western Asia.
• The flowers close in grey, cold weather and only open fully in the sun.