For experienced gardeners, “ice cream” is a tulip of rare beauty, not a milk dessert. This flower has won the hearts of lovers of decorative flora with its unusual color. It is because of it that the plant was called Tulip Ice Cream. The thing is that the bud really resembles ice cream, so much so that from afar you literally will not see a difference from this favorite children's treat.
general information
“Ice cream” is a tulip, which is one of the five most beautiful varieties of such a flower familiar to us. Pinkish petals of different shades frame the snow-white core. This marvelous blooms from April to June. Bulbs of tulips "ice cream" are not cheap, about two hundred rubles per piece. Sellers claim that the tulip is very resistant to different soils and not capricious in care. But it is not so. People who bought bulbs and tried to grow them without much care said that the flowers either did not sprout at all, or did not grow at all as expected. With improper cultivation and care, the tulip will grow small, with a pale color and will not please you as it should.
Growing Secrets
Not all Ice Cream tulips risk growing. It is easier, of course, to plant simple unpretentious varieties that do not require special attention. But if you recall the beauty of the bud of this variety, you can still decide to plant. One of the secrets of growing this flower is soil. Ideally, it should be purchased from trusted suppliers who work with Dutch manufacturers. They also need to buy the bulbs themselves. If everything is done correctly, then subsequently there will be no problems with plant nutrition.
We make a flower garden
Ice cream is a tulip that can live on the same bed with other flowers. The main thing at the same time is to follow the rules of care and be sure to purchase special land for such a flower garden. So, if you want to make a beautiful flowerbed, we recommend that you act in this way:
- Choose a place to plant in a sunny place, as the flower loves warmth and light;
- well loosen the ground before planting the flower itself there;
- carefully remove the plant from the pot and place it in the soil twenty centimeters in depth;
- the distance between the bulbs should not be less than five centimeters;
- after that, at a shallower depth, we plant a daffodil, and on top, for example, crocus;
- this order of planting is explained by the fact that all these flowers are budded at different times, first crocus, then tulip, and at the end of the daffodil; while some do not interfere with others, but rather create a beautiful green setting for neighbors;
- this combination of flowers has another advantage: weed grasses on these flower beds practically do not grow, and in the case of strong gusts of wind, the plants amicably support each other from different sides.
Care Features
There are some standard guidelines that you should follow to make the growing process a success:
- As already mentioned, the ice cream tulip loves the light, so you need to plant it in a suitable place. If you plant a flower in partial shade, then you will never see the full beauty of its buds. Most likely, they will be small and faded pink.
- The regime of watering the flower comes down to once a week, but provided that the weather is moderately warm. If there is heat on the street, then watering should be carried out every two days.
- Like any plant, this decorative flower needs additional nutrition. To begin with, this is done during the first planting: the land where you are going to plant the tulip is mixed with parts of compost or foliage. When the growing season begins, you need to fertilize the plant using the mineral complex of fertilizers. It is recommended to do five dressings per season.
- Carefully monitor the condition of the flower in the flowerbed. One of the main enemies of the tulip is considered a snail. If you see her appearance in time, then you can get rid of it without loss of color. Simply sprinkle the soil on the bed with a special substance that can be purchased at the store.
Storage conditions
Ice cream is a tulip, for the sake of beauty of which you should try a little. And if it was not difficult for you to look after him, then we think that it will be easy for you to provide storage of bulbs in the winter. After the leaves of the flowers turn yellow, you must prepare to remove the plant from the flower bed for storage until next season. For this:
- dig up onions;
- dry them;
- clean from dry parts and soil;
- place in a container so that all the bulbs lie in one row;
- place the bulb onion in a damp room where the temperature will be cool.
As you can see, there are no big difficulties in caring for the flower, but there are some nuances that are important in this process. Seeing the beauty of this flower, people can not resist the admiration, and everyone is eager to have such charm in their garden.