Tulips are familiar to everyone. The first thing that is associated with these colors is the Netherlands. It may not be the birthplace of flowers, but it was there that they raised their selection almost to the rank of art. The number of varieties exceeded the mark of two thousand. What kind of hybrids do not appear in our gardens and flower shops. Some are like tropical birds, others like amazing stars that are full of riot of colors: snow-white and pink, black and rich purple. It is impossible to remain indifferent to tulips, they fall in love with themselves at first sight.
Tulip classification
Lovers of bulbous plants are familiar with their diversity. The number of tulip varieties is over the top and it is not surprising that at some point their classification was needed.
The first attempt to divide all species into groups with common features was made back in 1913 in the Netherlands and Great Britain, but work was completed only by 1929. Although it would be wrong to say that it was finished, since to this day an international register is being maintained, which includes varietal tulips. Varieties of tulips that are outdated are excluded, and new selection achievements are added. Now the register includes 2500 species, and in nature there are more than ten thousand.
According to modern classification, at present 15 classes of tulips have been allocated. They, in turn, are combined into four large groups: early flowering, medium flowering, late flowering, tulip species and their hybrids (all wild-growing species and those varieties derived from them are included).
The first group includes two classes: simple and terry. To the second: the triumph of tulips and Darwin hybrids. To the third group: lilac, fringed, green, parrots, simple and terry late, Rembrandt tulips. To the fourth: tulips Kaufman, Greig, Foster and other species and hybrids. Let us dwell in more detail on each class.
Early simple tulips
Varieties of tulips of this group have been known since the 17th century. They are medium-sized, strong, therefore resistant to wind and weather. A distinctive feature that combines all species in one group is the early flowering period (end of April). Flowers have a goblet or cupped shape and a size of 6-7 cm. The color of the petals is most often in a yellow-red color scheme, but the flowers can be white. For cutting, they are not quite suitable due to small stature.
Some varieties have been cultivated unchanged since the 17th century, for example, Kaiserkrone. Recently, dwarf tulips have also been included in the class. Dutch varieties of this class occupy not too large area in the fields, about 8% of the total mass. One of the best in their homeland is Purple Prince, an amazing hybrid with bright colors and large flowers. Popular varieties are also: Christmas Dream, Candy Prince, Mickey Mouse, Diamond Star and others.
Early Terry Tulips
Early terry tulips, varieties of which have also been known since the 17th century, are popular among flower growers due to their early flowering and bright cheerful color. They are very tiny in height (20-30 cm), but have large flowers, which, when fully opened, can be up to 8 cm in diameter and have a long flowering period.
A lush cup-shaped terry flower is the result of a double perianth. If there are only six petals in ordinary tulips, then in representatives of this class it doubles. In a garden culture, these varieties are not particularly popular and are most often grown as a potted plant or for distillation.
The second group is represented by two classes - these are triumph tulips and Darwin hybrids.
Darwin hybrids
In a separate class of these giants were allocated only in 1960. These are very large (60-80 cm tall) tulips. Varieties of tulips of this class have several advantages, they are resistant to spring frosts, variegated virus and are perfectly preserved in cut form.
Blossom begins in early May. Large goblet-shaped flowers most often have a red color (two-color hybrids also appeared) and grow up to 10 cm in size, which nicely distinguishes them from other flowers. Both garden crops and for distillation are used.
Triumph Tulips
Representatives of the class were bred at the beginning of the 20th century, Darwin hybrids and simple early tulips were used for crossing. Varieties are characterized by large goblet flowers, peduncle up to 70 cm high. Hybrids are characterized by a variety of colors from snow-white to saturated purple shades.
Flowering begins in late April and often continues until mid-May. This is currently the most numerous and widespread class (25% of all species). Perfect for gardening, cutting and forcing, and have a high reproduction rate. Popular varieties: Golden Melody, Antarctica (snow-white), Mata Hari, Ile de France, Don Quixote and others.
The third group includes late-flowering hybrids, all of which are classified by flower shape.
Late simple and terry tulips
The plants of these two classes differ from their early relatives by larger sizes (flower stalk height 50-70 cm) and late flowering periods (in mid-May). Simple tulips have a goblet shape with a wide bottom and blunt petals. There are multi-flowered hybrids when several buds develop on the same peduncle. Perfect for cuts and bouquets.
Late-flowering varieties of terry tulips are also called pion-shaped for their shape, which gives them instability, because of this they can not withstand wind or rain. Both classes reproduce well vegetatively. The color of the flowers is very diverse, it can be snow-white or almost black, pink or purple, there are also two-tone varieties.
Green tulips
They were allocated to a separate class quite recently - in 1981 and, we can confidently say that these are the latest varieties of tulips. Their unusualness is that the backs of the petals retain a green color throughout the entire flowering period, in contrast to the general bright color (white, yellow, red, pink, purple shades) it looks very impressive.
The size of the flower stalk can be medium to high, the leaves are narrow, and the flowers are about 7 cm in size. They bloom late, in mid-May, look good and are very popular in bouquets, as well as in group plantings. It is worth paying attention to such varieties as: Spring Green, China Town, Golden Artist.
Fringed tulips
These are plants of amazing beauty. Large flowers on a long peduncle (80 cm) have the shape of a glass. But the greatest decorative value are the petals, the edges of which are indented with a pattern, like frost in the cold, the smallest needles give the impression of weightlessness and fragility of the flower. The color scheme is different, but negligent sellers sometimes try to sell low-quality goods, passing them off as an original variety, so you need to know that black fringed tulips have not yet been bred.
Varieties are obtained on the basis of breeding Darwin hybrids or late varieties, which are very well preserved in cut form. The first fringed tulip was grown in 1930, and in a separate class they were isolated only in 1981. Varieties: Cambridge, Mont Amour, Flamenco, Mascotte and others.
Lilac tulips
The name of the class speaks for itself, the tulip flower in shape resembles a lily, especially when it is fully revealed in sunny weather. These are mid-height hybrids 50-60 cm high. Bloom late - in mid-May. Breeders have been working on them for a long time, since the 16th century, so the latest varieties of tulips are different from the very first, the original. The following hybrids are very popular and beautiful: Ballad Gold (pictured) and White, West Point, Jacqueline, Pretti Wumen.
Parrot tulips: varieties, description
One of the most unusual and bright hybrids among modern tulips. These are mainly medium-sized varieties, but they have large flowers growing up to 12 cm in diameter when fully opened. They have been known for a long time and it is believed that they appeared as a result of a genetic mutation of ordinary flowers, and not special selection.
In the 17th century, parrot tulips were first noticed and identified in France. Dutch varieties became known only after a hundred years. A characteristic feature is the flower petals, which have uneven wavy edges resembling feathers of birds and have a bright color, which determines the name of the whole class. They really look like disheveled parrots lurking in the greenery of the garden. They prefer windless places and are perfectly combined with other inhabitants of flower beds, besides they are easily and quickly propagated by daughter bulbs. Varieties of parrot tulips: Black Perrot, Rococo, Super Perrot, Fleming.
Rembrandt Tulips
A very small class, uniting all variegated tulips. The flowers are quite large - 7-10 cm in height, goblet and not double, of varying degrees of variegation. Spots or stripes on a bright yellow, red or white background - this is their main feature, due to genes, and not the virus. They bloom in late spring, in the second half of May. Varieties: Mona Lisa, Union Jack, Orange Bowl, Princess Irene (pictured), Prince Carnival, Sorbet, Olympic Flame and others.
Kaufman Tulips
These are early flowering and stunted hybrids that bloom in mid-April. The same group includes varieties obtained by crossing Kaufman tulips with other varieties. Strong and low (15-25 cm), but with large flowers of various colors (plain or often motley). Use them best on alpine slides and rockeries.
When fully opened, Kaufman's tulips look like a six-pointed bright star, in group plantings it is simply an impressive sight. It is worth noting the name of the varieties of tulips Kaufman: Giuseppe Verdi (pictured), Johann Strauss, Shakespeare. Musical and romantic names are quite consistent with the delicate appearance of the flowers.
Foster Tulips
Foster Tulips got their name in honor of the professor. They are larger compared to the previous class. The flower stalk grows to a height of 30-50 cm, while the bud itself is 1/3 (15 cm). The flower shape of Foster tulips is cup-shaped or cupped with a slight interception, as if it had a waist. The color is bright in orange-red colors. But there are varieties of white tulips Foster. In the natural environment, they grow only in Central Asia.
Greig's Tulips
Greig's tulips are not only owners of gorgeous large flowers, but also very decorative leaves. Large and green, they are covered with longitudinal stripes of purple, red, brown. Flowers have a very beautiful shape, in many varieties resembling an hourglass rather than a glass, tapering somewhere in the middle, as if they had a waist.
Spiky petals, as they bloom, bend to the sides. Color can be monochrome or two-tone. The color palette is diverse: from milky to bright scarlet shades. Greig's tulips bloom, usually in late April or early May.
Medium-sized varieties (20-30 cm) look good in group plantings on alpine hills or along borders, suitable for cutting into bouquets. The best varieties of Greig's tulips: Jane Perrot, Majestic, Princess Charmant, Tsar Peter (pictured), Oriental, Lovely Surprise.
Wild tulip species
Everyone knows that the name of the tulip comes from the Persian word "toliban", which means turban or turban (headdress). The homeland of tulips and, one might say, the center of their speciation, is undoubtedly Central Asia. Desert plains are transformed in the spring beyond recognition, covered with a bright floral carpet. It was from there that they settled on the continents and now feel great in the mountainous regions of Europe, in the Caucasus, and several species grow even in Africa.
Wild tulips bloom early (in April), most often stunted and have small flowers, multiflowered species are found. Due to their miniature size, they are simply indispensable in rockeries and on alpine slides. Will look great in the garden among the trees.
The history of growing tulips dates back to the Ancient East, where they occupied an important place in the culture of the Seljuks, and then in the Ottoman Empire, where they were considered a symbol of peace and tranquility.
In Western Europe, a flower appeared relatively recently, for the first time tulips were planted in 1530 in Portugal. And after a hundred-plus years, they conquered Holland, where they became perhaps the most beloved garden flower. Now in the Netherlands there is even the Royal Society of Bulbous Plants. And at the moment, in the selection of tulips in the Netherlands there are no equal, most of the varieties are bred there. In addition, it is the main supplier in the world market of such simple, but such valuable bulbs.
If you want to create a unique picture in your garden, then you must have tulips. Choose different varieties of tulips, depending on the time of their blooming, so that some replace the others, forming a continuous stream of bright colors. Larger ones are suitable for combined flower beds, and those smaller ones are planted on alpine slides and around fruit trees in the garden. You can create a plain even carpet or mosaic from different shades of colors!