Early Tulip

[Alan_b]

A friend of mine bought a crate of 500 tulips that have all turned out to be a completely different variety.  Can anyone hazard a guess as to which cultivar these are?  Hopefully the small stature, mottled leaves and unusually early flowering will give it away.

[partisangardener]

a greigii hybrid, which one I don't know

[Alan_b]

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, patisangardener.  I wonder which hybrid it is?  I found a web site stating that there are over 250 but there can't be many tulips of any sort flowering this early.  Is there a good "directory" anywhere with photographs of tulip cultivars?   

[Maggi Young]

Well, Alan, I can suggest a look at the pages from early in the season from the Connoisseur's Collection Thread.....http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.0
 Luit has pictured so many bulbs there and there may well  be an answer there.  Lots of  lists of plants don't record flowering periods very well, I find.

[Maggi Young]

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg36122#msg36122

March 07, 2008  Tulipa kaufmann. Group 'The First'

Looks like it to me!

The next pale tulips are from March11 th 2008:  http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg36839#msg36839

[Maggi Young]

or.... 'Sweelinck'  in this post....from March 21st
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg37931#msg37931


or  'Mendelssohn' from March 22nd.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg37975#msg37975


 .....

[Lvandelft]

Did not see this earlier. If it was in a 500 box it must have been a more widely grown cultivar.
Maybe something like Franz Lehar, which I pictured in that year on March 6th
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg36839#msg36839

[Maggi Young]

There seems to be quite a lot of pink on the outside of the flower, Luit, is not Franz Lehar plainer yellow?

[mark smyth]

If it helps, my first Tulip is usually Hearts Delight Mine isnt white

[Gerdk]

Tulipa binutans just opening in the greenhouse

Gerd

[Lvandelft]

There seems to be quite a lot of pink on the outside of the flower, Luit, is not Franz Lehar plainer yellow?

Yes Maggi, had just a better look at Alan's pic and see what you mean.
Have no picture of similar T. kaufmanniana, so will try to find one in the Collection which could match, when time permits

[Alan_b]

Wow, I'm really bowled over by all the helpful responses.  I know something about the genus Galanthus but virtually nothing about any other bulb species so I feel really privileged to get help from so many experts. 

It's pouring with rain here at the moment but when it stops I may go ever to my friend's garden and see if I can get a better photograph of his mystery tulip so we can see the colours more clearly.

[Lvandelft]

Just noticed that I have T. Johann Strauss since some years in the garden an never made a picture.
Probably it's the same as on Alan's picture?
Picture not as good as I wanted, but made in a hurry because of raining.
Tulipa kaufm. Johann Strauss

[Alan_b]

Despite Mark's second thoughts, considered opinion at the Garden Centre where the bulbs were bought is that it is Heart's Delight.  Meanwhile the flowers have increased in height and depth of colour so I think they could well be right. 

[Lvandelft]

Here a picture of Tulipa Heart's Delight which I made this week in the Connoisseur Collection and one from Keukenhof Show Garden yesterday.