The article was created to help those who want to grow beautiful tulips. It tells about groups of tulips so that the reader can choose the varieties he likes. Tulips bloom in spring. Therefore, summer residents tired of the monotony of natural winter colors will certainly come into a complacent mood when they see such beauty on their site.
Not everyone knows why the flower is called that way. Translated, the word "tulip" means "turban". It is this headdress that resembles a flower. And it is not for nothing that an oriental motive can be traced in its name, because its homeland is Central Asia. For the first time cultivated varieties of tulips were bred in Persia and many poets of those places dedicated their creations to this flower. And in Turkey, tulips made a splash. They were bred by the wives of the Sultan in the seraglio, thus showing their love for the master.
A wealth of varieties and types of tulips
What types of these flowers do not exist today! Tulips can be grown:
- simple;
- terry;
- fringed;
- parrot;
- green-flowered, etc.
The variety of colors is also pleasing. If earlier tulip lovers were content with specimens of red and yellow flowers, now, in addition to these, you can grow burgundy, white, lilac and even green tulips.
To decide on the tulips that you come to see on your site, let's dwell on the varieties in more detail. If you want to grow simple tulips, which are also suitable for forcing in the winter season, then pay attention to the best representatives of this group, varieties:
- Cooler Cardinal (red);
- IbisMon Trezor (yellow and pink).
Double early tulips are suitable for forcing and bloom at the same time as simple early ones - May 15-30. Here are some varieties of representatives of this group:
- Murillo. Has a white flower with a pinkish tinge;
- Monte Carlo (yellow);
- Electra (red);
- Peach Blossom (pink-white with yellow);
- Double Toronto (terracotta).
Terry late tulips bloom at the end of May. These are the varieties:
- Nice. Yellow flower with red feathery spots;
- Mount Tekoma (creamy white flower);
- Miranda (scarlet);
- Symphony (purple-black flower).
Fringed tulips have different flowering periods, the degree of terry, color, shape. Therefore, every florist will be able to make a choice. These varieties are united by the fact that there is a fringe at the end of the petals, as if some magician made it with magic scissors. Here are some of the representatives of this variety:
- Lambada;
- Mascott;
- Lingery;
- Cummins;
- Gold Dust.
Parrot tulips live up to their name. Their delicate petals are intricately colored and from a distance resemble these exotic birds. These tulips bloom at the end of May. Here are the best varieties in this group:
- Black Parrot;
- Fantasy;
- Texas Gold;
- Red Champion;
- Rococo;
- Texas Flame.
The Triumph group includes tulips with large goblet flowers located on tall stems. They bloom mainly in the 2nd and 3rd decade of May. Among the best varieties:
- Algiba (lilac pink);
- Flaming Flag (white with purple border);
- Carrata (carmine red and white with a silvery border).
If you want to admire the flowering of these charming plants from the end of May or from the beginning of June, then pay attention to the group of tulips "Briderovskie", in particular, the varieties:
- Dillenburg (terracotta orange)
- Haze;
- Black Eagle;
- Grandma's sundress.
Lily tulips are so called because they resemble a lily in shape. They bloom in mid-May. Here are some of the varieties in this group:
- Arcadia;
- Aladdin;
- Jazz;
- Marietta;
- White Triumphant Marilyn;
- Tres Chick.
Green-flowered tulips have green fragments on the petals (mainly on the outer ones). Here are the varieties that bloom late and will allow you to admire the blooming of tulips for a long time. It:
- Fleming Spring Green (has a white-red flower with green stripes);
- Deirdre (creamy green).
Planting tulips
To be able to see such variegated flowers in spring, you need to plant tulips at the end of the summer cottage season - from late August to mid-October. It is better to choose a sunny place. In partial shade, the stems of this plant will elongate, and the buds will not be as large as those of those specimens that grew in an open place and received enough sunlight.
Fertile land is preferable. If it is loose, but poor in chemical composition, then you need to pour 2 tbsp. l. complex mineral fertilizer per 1 sq. m. of dug up earth and close it into the soil with a rake. You can use nitrophoska or granular fertilizer for flowers in the same amount. If you are low on fertilizer, then you can pour a few pellets directly into the wells.
This flower looks great in group plantings. If you want to plant it this way, then place the tulip bulbs at least 15–20 cm apart. The holes can be dug with a special device for planting bulbs or a sharp spatula. The depth of the planting hole is equal to three times the height of a particular bulb. At the bottom of the excavation, pour coarse sand in a layer of 1.5 cm. If you put fertilizers in the same place, then mix it with the sand.
Since tulip bulbs are deep, do not plant them in low-lying areas where water accumulates, otherwise they may rot.
Inspect your tulip bulbs before planting. If they are poorly preserved, dry or rotted, it is better not to use them. If the damage is minor, soak the planting material in a solution of red potassium permanganate or fungicide, for example, in a solution of the Maxim drug. After planting, this place is mulched with peat.
Tulip vegetation begins in spring. Then there is still a lot of water in the soil left over from melting snow. Therefore, tulips do not need watering. If there was little snow in the winter, and the spring is dry, then you can rarely water the flowers.
If, when planting the bulbs, you applied enough mineral fertilizers, then the tulips do not need feeding. If they grow little green mass or form small buds, then feed them on wet soil with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer.
After the tulips have faded, do not cut the green mass. It will help the bulbs form. When the stem and leaves turn yellow, then cut them off, leaving a "stump" 5 cm above the soil level to notice the place where the flowers were planted.
Then you will dig up the ripe bulbs, when the upper leaves turn yellow completely, and the lower one is just starting, the peduncle will become soft and easily separate from the bulb. And in the time indicated above, plant them again in a flower garden or in another place on the site.
But some species and varieties do not require annual excavation. We will talk about this in more detail later.
Forcing tulips
If you want to admire them not only in spring, at the end of summer, but also in winter, then try growing them at home. Experienced gardeners get blooming tulips from November to April.
When choosing a variety, purchase a variety that is resistant to the variegation virus. After all, this disease leads to a change in the original color of the flowers inherent in their variety. The infected bulb looks healthy, the disease can be detected later, when lines, spots, dots, atypical for this variety, appear on the tulip petals. Bulbs infected with this virus can give “blind” buds when forcing.
Tulips of the Greig, Kaufman, Forster classes, some other species and certain varieties of other classes do not lend themselves to this disease. Usually, in the description of each variety, the manufacturer gives not only the characteristics of the plant, but also writes about its resistance to various diseases.
Tulips of the Greig, Kaufman, Forster and some varieties and classes do not require annual excavation. These flowers can grow up to 5 years in one place. Also good for forcing tulips are the varieties Maurin and Forgotten Dream, which belong to Darwin hybrids, as well as Parade Record, which is suitable for different periods of distillation, is resistant to many diseases, forms a large flower and a tall, strong peduncle.
Having selected the largest bulbs, decide on the timing. For tulips to bloom at a specific time, forcing is possible:
- early (to receive flowers for the New Year holidays);
- medium (in this case, flowering will begin at the end of the winter holidays - from mid-January);
- late (flowering will be in February - March).
For early distillation, planting of bulbs is carried out from the end of August to the end of September. For medium, late forcing - in October-November. For early forcing, after digging up the bulbs, store them at 20 ° C for three weeks, then 1 week at + 15– + 17 ° C.
The soil must be moisture and breathable. Fill 2/3 of the clean containers with the substrate so that the soil layer is at least 10 cm. Plant the bulbs to a depth of 3-4 cm with an interval of 1.5 cm. plants.
After watering the soil, place the containers in a dark, cool place, where there are low above zero temperatures (+ 5– + 9 °) and high air humidity. Rooting and germination will occur in 16-22 weeks. Then transfer the bowls to a warm place and place them closer to the light.
This is how you can grow tulips at home to see them bloom in winter and be able to admire them not only in late spring.
For more information on the rules for cutting tulips and their forcing, see this video:
