Tulipa 2020

[Yann]

mid february and the first tulips are blooming outside and under glass 

Tulipa cretica from seeds i collected in 2006, i hope the flowers gonna open a few more.
On another batch the flowers faded 24h after opening and most aborted, quite normal for young bulbs.

[Yann]

16°C today not bad except the storm.

Tulipa clusiana f. cashmeriana, a beauty protected from the unleashed elements

[Rob-Rah]

This is a selection from Paul Christian of Tulipa atchinsonii clusianoides from Afghanistan. The flowers start off more cup-shaped but after a day or two open out to flat stars.

[Yann]

another very nice tulip, i sown it this autumn results (may be) in 8 years 

[Yann]

I was very happy tuesday to see the first flowers of Tulipa lemmersii, from Kurt Vickery seeds sown in 2014. Patience is rewarded!

[Yann]

In the greenhouse almost all tulips are already faded 

Tulipa montana var. chrysantha now widely offered
Tulipa turkestanica, the last group in bloom in the garden

[Steve Garvie]

Tulipa aitchisonii clusianoides

[Rob-Rah]

Cracking form there! Is that also the Paul Christian clone?

[Steve Garvie]

Many thanks Rob.
Yes I got this from PC some years ago. It has clumped up nicely.

[Yann]

Tulipa aitchisonii clusianoides

Do you grow them in the garden?

[Steve Garvie]

No Yann. We have too much Summer rain here for most Tulips.

These are pot-grown plunged in a sand bed in a cold frame. The bulbs aren’t large but they do tend to clump up.

I don’t have a large collection of Tulips but I have started to grow more from seed. I have a small range of young plants coming on from Kurt Vickery seed. All have germinated well and are growing on nicely. Some should flower in the next year or two. Covered sand beds seem to work well with them here.

The one Tulip I struggle with is Tulipa humilis pulchella albocaerulea oculata. They are mass-produced by Dutch growers yet I cannot get them to flower in subsequent years after purchase. They just seem to get smaller and less vigorous with each year.
Any suggestions?

[LucS]

No Yann. We have too much Summer rain here for most Tulips.

These are pot-grown plunged in a sand bed in a cold frame. The bulbs aren’t large but they do tend to clump up.

I don’t have a large collection of Tulips but I have started to grow more from seed. I have a small range of young plants coming on from Kurt Vickery seed. All have germinated well and are growing on nicely. Some should flower in the next year or two. Covered sand beds seem to work well with them here.

The one Tulip I struggle with is Tulipa humilis pulchella albocaerulea oculata. They are mass-produced by Dutch growers yet I cannot get them to flower in subsequent years after purchase. They just seem to get smaller and less vigorous with each year.
Any suggestions?

The photo shows a collection of the species from Iran.

[LucS]

Tulipa aitchisonii var. clusianoides in the rockgarden.  The bulbs stay in place all year.

[LucS]

Tulipa binutans in the greenhouse

[LucS]

Tulipa kolpakowskiana from Kazakhstan.