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Overview
This category of hybrid tulips feature more petals then the standard tulip which can also be more gently wavy, creating a particularly beautiful bloom that eventually opens up, like all tulips, before dropping the petals.
As their name suggests they bloom earlier and can therefore be planted in amongst mid and later varieties to ensure a continual display all through spring.
Soil: Well drained soils with some added humus - ensure a good access to sun for most of the day, though a little shade will prolong blooming time.
Maintenance: Don't over water if your soil doesn't drain well or the bulbs will rot. Apply a general purpose fertiliser as a top dressing when buds appear. Allow foliage to die down before lifting bulbs to store
They need some frost to help flowering and best dug up and dried over summer to replant in autumn. A spell in the fridge prior to planting is the best bet in most areas of the southern parts of Australia.
Diseases: Fungal disease - tulip fire,Tulip virus and aphids which spread it. Watch for snails.
Toxicity: The foliage, stems, roots and berries are all toxic, and in particular the bulbs contain the greatest amount of (tulipalin) toxic chemicals.
Comments: The Tulip first came to Europe from Turkey to Austria in the 16th century. They soon found their way to Holland where a botanist successfully grew them in the much colder European climate at the University of Leiden.
Tulips soon became hugely popular, being unlike any other garden flower and in the early 17th century Dutch merchants built vast wealth by breeding tulips and exporting them around the world.
Today the Dutch bulb industry celebrates and promotes itself at Keukenhof near Lisse, around 30 mins drive out of Amsterdam. This vast estate that once belonged to a crazy Dutch Queen has now been transformed into the most spectacular showcase for Dutch horticulture and in particular the Tulip.
No matter how many stunning photographs you look at, you'll never really appreciate the mind boggling and stunning beauty of this place unless you make a visit.
Author: Bob Saunders.