Turkestan tulip

Turkestan tulip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A low bulb 20–30 cm tall and about 10 cm wide that forms small clumps over the years.

Leaves

Two to four narrow, grey-green leaves, which turn yellow after flowering and die back in May–June.

Flowers

Small, open stars, several per stem, in March and April. They only open wide in the sun.

Colour

White with a large yellow centre; the outside of the petals is greyish green or pale purple.

Bulb

Small, with a brown tunic; produces a few offsets each year.

Flowering: March–April · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• One of the earliest tulips: it flowers in March and April, when there is still little colour in the garden.
• Several flowers per stem, up to eight: even a small group makes a cheerful show.
• Comes back every year and slowly spreads, provided it stays dry in summer.
• Bees readily visit the open flowers on sunny spring days.
• Small and graceful: ideal for a rock garden, gravel garden, the front of a border or a pot.

Turkestan tulip: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: only then do the flowers open and the bulb ripens properly.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky. On heavy clay, work in plenty of coarse sand or grit.
• Dry to moist; ideally dry in summer, as wet soil makes the bulbs rot.
• Ideal in a rock garden, gravel garden, against a sunny wall or among low perennials. Plant in groups of ten or more.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Grape hyacinth: A blue underlayer that flowers at the same time in April.
• Glory-of-the-snow: Pale blue stars in March and April, also for a dry, sunny spot.
• Thyme: A low, evergreen mat in the rock garden that hides the fading tulip leaves.
• Stonecrop: Flowers in summer and autumn in the same dry spot, while the tulip is dormant.

Turkestan tulip: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs from September to November, in soil that is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Loosen the soil and, on heavy ground, mix coarse sand or grit into the planting hole.
3. Plant the bulbs about 10 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Leave 5–8 cm between the bulbs and plant in loose groups, not in rows.
5. Firm the soil and only water if it is very dry.

Care

Watering

Usually not needed: autumn and spring rain is enough. In summer the bulb wants to rest dry.

Feeding

Not needed in ordinary garden soil. On poor sandy soil, scatter a little compost around the bulbs in spring.

Spent flowers

Remove them if you do not want seed; leave them if you want it to self-seed.

Leaves

Leave the leaves until they are completely yellow: this lets the bulb build up reserves for next year.

In pots

Use a pot with a drainage hole and an open mix of potting compost and coarse grit. After flowering, move the pot to a dry spot.

Tip: Plant in groups of ten in a rock garden or gravel garden. Each stem carries up to eight starry little flowers, which only open in the sun.

Turkestan tulip: when to prune it?

When: This tulip is not pruned. At most, you remove the spent flowers in April or May and clear away the dead leaves in June.

How:

• Cut off spent flowers just below the bloom if you do not want seed.
• Leave the stem and leaves until they are yellow and limp.
• Only pull away the dry leaves once they come away easily.

Caution: Never cut off the leaves while they are still green: the bulb will lack reserves and flower less the following year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

In June–July, once the leaves have died back, lift a clump and remove the offsets. Store them dry and replant them in autumn.

Seed

In a good spot it sometimes self-seeds. You can also sow in autumn in a pot left outdoors; seedlings take several years to flower.

Turkestan tulip: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −25 °C: in Belgium no protection is needed.
• Wet winters are a greater danger than frost: make sure the soil drains well.
• The bulbs can stay in the ground; there is no need to lift them.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall or under a shelter so the compost does not become waterlogged.

Diseases and pests

• Mice: Mice and voles eat the bulbs. Plant them in a fine wire mesh basket or among grit.
• Bulb rot: In wet, heavy soil the bulbs rot and fail to come up. Choose a dry spot and add coarse grit.
• Tulip fire: A fungus that causes brown spots and distorted leaves. Remove diseased plants, bulb and all, and replant in a different spot.
• Closed flowers: In dull weather and in the evening the flowers stay shut. This is normal; in a sunny spot they open best.

Through the year

• February: The first leaf tips appear.
• March: Flowering: white stars with a yellow centre. Bees visit.
• April: Last flowers. Remove spent flowers if you wish.
• May: The leaves turn yellow. Leave them until they die back.
• June: Clear away dead leaves. Lift and divide crowded clumps.
• July: Summer rest: the bulb lies dry in the ground.
• September: Plant bulbs about 10 cm deep.
• October: Ideal planting time, also in pots.
• November: Last planting time, 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.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Most wild tulips come from Central Asia. The tulip reached western Europe via Turkey in the 16th century.
• Unlike most garden tulips, it carries several flowers per stem.
• Species tulips like this one keep coming back in the same spot for years, whereas many large garden tulips flower less after a few years.