The wonder of tulips (From Free Press Series)

The wonder of tulips

Of all the flowers in the world, my wife's favourites are tulips.

I can see why - the strong vivid colours en mass evoke a breathtaking response. They are a sure sign that spring is here.

Tulips became popular in Europe in the 17th century and in those days a single prized specimen could fetch more than its weight in gold. Whole fortunes have been made and lost from tulip cultivators. Even today tulips remain one of Holland's biggest export markets.

Tulips are found naturally in hot dry situations in temperate Europe, Asia and the Middle-East. In garden situations they do best in well-drained soil irrespective of the soil type. In clay soils it is necessary to dig in plenty of grit before planting.

Generally Kaufmanniana, greigii and fosteriana species will happily remain in the ground for several years; however many of the modern tulip hybrids and cultivars do not tend to do well left in the garden and often won't flower a second year.

It is best to treat them as bedding plants - lift the bulbs annually once the leaves have died down, store in a cold greenhouse making sure mice cannot get to them. Plant again in the autumn at about 4" to 6" depth.

Tulips make fantastic displays when combined with pansies or wall-flowers either in beds or pots and containers. Avoid tall varieties in windy areas.

Stick to dwarf greigii types such as Red Riding Hood, Cape Code or Oriental Beauty. For stunning bedding displays choose some of the Apeldoorn varieties: Apricot Beauty or Queen of the Night for its almost black colour.

Underplant with hyacinths to give a scented base. For something different try some double flowering varieties like Peach Blossom or Angelique, which being a shorter type is sturdy in pots and is thus useful in windy areas. It also produces more than one flower on each stem.

Parrot tulips like Estella Rijnveld or lily flowered forms like Ballerina can also be very effective and interesting.

Although tulips are not normally recommended for naturalising species, tulips such as Dwarf Praestans, Little Beauty or Tarda are the exceptions to the rule.

In fact, they give much better results when left undisturbed from year to year. Several are self-seeding and will naturalise with no effort at all.

Whatever you choose just remember to plant this autumn so that when spring comes around your garden is filled with colour.