Waterlily tulip

Waterlily tulip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low bulb plant 15–25 cm tall and 10–15 cm wide, with a few broad, lance-shaped leaves at the base.

Leaves

Grey-green, sometimes striped or mottled with purple, especially in the garden forms.

Flower

Long bud that opens wide in the sun into a flat star, often creamy white or yellow with red on the outside and a yellow centre.

Flowering time

March to April, usually two weeks earlier than ordinary garden tulips.

Bulb

Medium-sized bulb with a brown, papery skin; it forms small offset bulbs over time.

Flowering: March–April · Plants: October–November

Why grow it?

• One of the first tulips of the year: flowering begins in March, when the border is still almost bare.
• Low and storm-proof: the short stems do not break in wind and rain.
• As a botanical tulip it often returns for years on a dry, sunny spot.
• Perfect for the front of the border, the rock garden, pots and containers.
• Bees and bumblebees visit the open flowers on sunny spring days.

Waterlily tulip: where does it grow best?

• Full sun; the flowers only open well where the sun can reach them.
• Free-draining soil: sandy or loamy, neutral to chalky. On heavy clay, mix in plenty of sand or grit.
• Dry to moderately moist; preferably dry in summer, because wet soil makes the bulb rot.
• Plant in groups of at least 10 bulbs, 8–10 cm apart.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Crocus: Flowers at the same time or slightly earlier and makes a colourful spring carpet.
• Grape hyacinth: Blue flowers that contrast nicely with yellow or red.
• Glory-of-the-snow: A blue carpet in early spring between the tulips.
• Stonecrop: Covers the spot in summer and hides the dying foliage.
• Miniature daffodil: A low daffodil that flowers at the same time and tolerates the same sunny spot.

Waterlily tulip: when and how to plant it?

Plant in October–November.

1. Plant in October–November, when the soil is cooling but not yet frozen.
2. Dig a hole 10–15 cm deep. On heavy soil, put 2–3 cm of coarse sand at the bottom.
3. Set the bulbs pointed end up, 8–10 cm apart, in groups.
4. Cover with soil and firm lightly. Water in dry weather so the roots can develop.
5. Mark the spot or plant early perennials between them, so you do not dig there in summer.

Care

Water

Water lightly after planting in dry weather; in spring only in long dry spells. No water during the summer rest.

Feeding

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

Foliage

Leave the leaves after flowering until they turn yellow and die back by themselves (six to eight weeks): the bulb is then storing energy.

Faded flowers

Remove faded flowers if you do not want seed; leave the stem and leaves.

In a pot

Use a pot with drainage holes and a free-draining mix of potting compost and sand. Pack the bulbs close together, 10–15 cm deep.

Tip: Plant the bulbs in groups of at least ten and keep the soil dry in summer: the waterlily tulip will then return for years.

Waterlily tulip: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed. Remove faded flowers as soon as they wilt; cut the leaves only when they are yellow and limp, usually in June.

How:

• Snip the faded flower off just below the bloom; leave the stem and leaves.
• Let the foliage die back completely before clearing it away.
• Pull off yellow, dry leaves by hand.
• Mark the spot with a small cane so you do not dig there.

Caution: Never cut off green leaves or tie them in knots: the bulb uses them to build next year’s flowers.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Lift the bulbs in June–July when the leaves have died back, remove the small bulbs and replant them in October. They take a few years to flower.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in autumn in a tray of sandy compost and leave it outdoors over winter. Flowering takes four to six years, and the flowers often differ from the parent plant.

Waterlily tulip: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Make sure drainage is good: in waterlogged winter soil the bulbs rot faster than they freeze.
• In a pot: use a frost-proof pot with holes and stand it against a wall, under the eaves or on pot feet.

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: Brown spots on the leaves, distorted shoots and grey mould. Remove affected plants together with the bulb and do not plant tulips in the same place for several years.
• Rodents: Mice and squirrels eat the bulbs. Plant in a wire-mesh basket or lay mesh over the spot.
• Slugs: They eat the young shoots in a mild spring. Collect them in the evening or put sharp grit around the plant.
• Fewer flowers: After a few years bulbs flower less if the leaves were cut off too early or the spot is too shady or too wet. Choose a dry, sunny place and leave the foliage.

Through the year

• March: The first flowers open in the sun.
• April: Full 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 bulbs if needed.
• August: Rest. Choose new bulbs.
• September: Order or buy bulbs.
• October: Plant 10–15 cm deep, in groups.
• November: Last planting month before 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.

Did you know?

• The species is named after Konstantin von Kaufmann, governor-general of Turkestan in the 19th century.
• The name waterlily tulip refers to the flower, which opens completely flat in the sun like a waterlily.
• This species is the origin of a whole group of early-flowering garden tulips, the Kaufmanniana tulips.