Sprenger's tulip

Sprenger's tulip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb plant 30–45 cm tall and about 10 cm wide, with upright, slender stems.

Leaves

Narrow, lance-shaped to linear, fresh green; appear in spring and die back after flowering.

Flower

One cup-shaped flower per stem in orange-red to scarlet, with pointed petals and a pale, greenish yellow outside.

Flowering time

May to June, often the last tulip of the year.

Bulb

Small to medium-sized bulb with a brown, papery skin. It spreads by seed and also forms offset bulbs.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Flowers in May–June, when all the other tulips have long finished.
• Self-seeds: with no work it grows into a natural group, even in grass.
• Tolerates half shade, which is unusual for a tulip.
• Fiery orange-red brings colour to late spring, next to young perennials.
• Bees and bumblebees visit the open flowers on sunny days.

Sprenger's tulip: where does it grow best?

• Sun to light half shade; best with morning or afternoon sun.
• Free-draining, average soil: sandy or loamy, neutral to chalky.
• Evenly moist; not too wet in summer, because waterlogged soil makes the bulb rot.
• Plant in groups of 10–20 bulbs, 8–10 cm apart; also suitable for a meadow or a grass edge.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Forget-me-not: Blue clouds that contrast beautifully with the orange-red.
• Columbine: Flowers at the same time in half shade and suits the natural look.
• Cranesbill: Fills the space when the tulips have finished and hides the dying foliage.
• Ornamental onion: Flowers in the same period and adds a round purple head next to the tulips.
• Ornamental grasses: Soft plumes hide the dying foliage and fit the natural look.

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

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant from September to November, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
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 rather than in a line.
4. Cover with soil and firm lightly. Water in dry weather so the roots can develop.
5. In grass, only mow that area after flowering, once the tulip leaves have died back.

Care

Water

Water lightly after planting in dry weather; in spring only in long dry spells. No watering is needed in summer.

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 seedlings; if you want it to self-seed, leave the seed capsules.

Lawn

In grass, do not mow before the leaves are yellow, usually until mid-July.

Tip: Leave the seed capsules in grass or a natural border and only mow once the leaves are yellow: this late tulip will then form a bigger group year after year.

Sprenger's tulip: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed. Remove faded flowers as soon as they finish if you do not want seed; cut the leaves only when they are yellow and limp.

How:

• Snip the faded flower off just below the bloom: the plant then forms no seed capsule and stays where it is.
• Leave the seed capsules if you want it to self-seed; they are also decorative.
• Let the foliage die back completely before clearing it away or mowing.
• Pull off yellow, dry leaves by hand.

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

Seed

It sows itself. If you want to do it yourself: collect the seed in July–August and sow it in autumn in a tray of sandy compost kept outdoors. A seedling flowers after four to five years.

Offsets

Lift the bulbs in July when the leaves have died back, remove the small bulbs and replant them in October.

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

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °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 or under the eaves.

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 young shoots in a mild spring. Collect them in the evening or put sharp grit around the plant.
• Too many seedlings: If it self-seeds too freely, pull out the seedlings before they grow big, or remove the seed capsules in July.

Through the year

• March: The leaves appear above ground. No watering needed yet.
• April: The foliage grows; buds form.
• May: Flowering begins. Enjoy the orange-red flowers.
• June: In flower. Remove faded flowers or leave the seed capsules.
• July: Let the foliage die back; collect seed. Summer rest.
• September: Buy and plant bulbs, 10–15 cm deep.
• October: Plant in groups, 8–10 cm apart.
• 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 Carl Sprenger, a nurseryman who brought it into cultivation.
• In the wild this tulip is very rare, but in gardens it grows very well and self-seeds.
• It flowers weeks later than most tulips and so extends the tulip season into June.