Tulipa 2009

[David Nicholson]

Zhirair, you haven't aged at all, I think I should start growing some tulips

[Armin]

Amazing 140cm! Wow
It looks you stand in the middle of a tulip boondocks

[Jim McKenney]

I don't know why, but many tulips of humble statuture all of sudden become giants in my garden. It surprises all my foreign visitors. For comparison my height is 175 cm...interspesific hybrid 'Blushing Beauty' (rose with pale yellow edge), which gets up to 140 cm after the 4-th day of blooming.
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Zhirair, that is amazing and beautiful!
In old catalogs I've seen tulips described with heights higher than anything I ever see in my garden. But I don't think I've ever seen any described as taller than about 90 cm. - and that was probably for tulips forced in greenhouses rather than tulips in the open garden.
'Blushing Beauty' in my garden is much shorter.   
You live in a tulip paradise!
What are weather conditions like during the weeks leading up to tulip bloom time?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I think Zhirair is fooling us all and is kneeling down on the picture...
 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Two from Janis' tulips just starting and holding well despite the battering they've been getting from wind, rain and even some hail :

1) Tulipa dubia beldersai - love the leaves !
2 & 3) Tulipa Vvedenskyi x berkariense "Morning star"


 

[ashley]

What beauties Luc

Here T. praestans Van Tubingen's Variety, its pure red tepals set off by the black filaments & violet anthers.  The pubescent leaves are also edged with a nice dark red line.

T. sylvestris
T. humilis

[Lvandelft]

Last autumn Zhirair asked me if I ever heard about a tulip of the
Greigii Group with enormous bulbs, about 20 cm Ø
This week I saw it flowering at Keukenhof, Lisse.
Here some pictures.

Tulipa Greigii Group Giant Orange Sunset  = Sunrise 
Edit:

I'll check about the right name,
which is probably Giant Orange Sunrise (wrong label ??) L.

[Maggi Young]

A most handsome tulip. Great leaves as well as a fine flower.

[Armin]

Great pictures of spring...

Luc,
the leaves of T. dubia is realy interesting and sets an contrast as well as "Morning star". Super!

Ashley,
first, Allium triquetrum leaves suffered very much from the -18°C deep frosts but survived! Some new green is appearing!
Second, all 3 kind of tulips are favours of mine. Very nice. It will last certainly 1-2wks until they will be in flower here.

Luit,
unbelieveable 20 cm bulb Ø. They are "Dickerchen"

[Boyed]

Luc,

When the thing relates power and sizes of tulipa 'Temple of Beauty' and its sports, including 'Blushing Beauty', there is nothing to be surprised. It's an phenomenal tulip bred by a phenomenal breeder D.W. Lefeber!!! It was bred a long time ago, considered the epitome of tulip breeding and still is considered the most powerful tulip in the world and no other tulip can compete with it by sizes and even can't be put closer to it to comepare. This achievement still haven't beaten by any breeder. This is the tulip that arose my passion for collecting these wonderful friends. Obtain some bulbs of it and grow and you will make sure.

Jim,
The height of tulips mentioned in the catalogues are always lower. At list most of the tulips grow 25 -30 cm higher, than the height mentioned in catalogues. One of the most important things to get maximum performance is annual lifting.
'Temple of Beauty' and its sports minimum get 90-100 cm. All my colleagues who grow it recorder the height minimum 90 cm. In drier climates it is slightly shorter, but again gets the minimal height.
Our climate is very favourable for tulips: moderate and with often rains. This is another factor of success.

Luit,
Thanks a lot for the picture of greigii lefeber tulip 'Giant Orange Sunset'. It  indeed has hugest bulbs among tulips equaling is sizes with amature fritillaria imperialis bulbs. It is now sprouted and show the leaves in my garden and its stems are very thick (agian reminding fr. imperialis). I can't wait to see how large its flowers are. I hope that it'll be taller in my garden. There is much harmony when large flowers are held in tall stems.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Good looking and well grown T. praestans Ashley - they resemble red stars when they're open !

[Boyed]

Luit,

Yes, the name can cause some confusions. It was called 'Giant Orange Sunset' before regestration, but was registered under the name 'Giant Orange Sunrise' to avoid misleadings, as there is vvedensky tulip already registered under the name 'Orange Sunset'.

[Arda Takan]

Does annual lifting mean, digging up the tulip bulbs after their leaves are gone, and putting them to earth again in autumn?

[Lvandelft]

Luit,

Yes, the name can cause some confusions. It was called 'Giant Orange Sunset' before regestration, but was registered under the name 'Giant Orange Sunrise' to avoid misleadings, as there is vvedensky tulip already registered under the name 'Orange Sunset'.

It is as you say Zhirair. The name is since half a year: Giant Orange Sunrise.
The exhibitor where I saw it, might not have known this when planting the bulbs.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Does annual lifting mean, digging up the tulip bulbs after their leaves are gone, and putting them to earth again in autumn?

That's exactly what it means Arda !