How many types of tulips are there?! Having first seen acres of them growing in Holland at the age of eleven, I was lucky as my mother could explain how the multi-coloured carpet was made up of different types / divisions and varieties of tulip. I found the brief botany explanation helpful and interesting, but it was the wow factor of tulips stretching to the horizon that made the real impact.
Nevertheless I understood why my mother thought they were an essential addition to the spring flower garden. And the aim of this little blog is to give you
- an outline of the different tulip divisions, with pictures
- a flavour of how they can bring spring colour to various gardening styles (blog links)
- some tips for showing them at a local spring flower show
Types of Tulips
Division 1 Single Early Tulips
Tulips are divided into 15 divisions, types, classes or groups and which division they belong to is predominantly based on the characteristics of their flowers. As well as the shape of the flower, when it blooms and its height also decide to which division any given tulip should belong to. Which means that most of them are easy to categorise, even for us amateurs.
Single tulips that bloom in mid spring and are the ones that most of us think of when someone says ‘tulip’. The goblet shaped blooms are the epitome of elegance. And just to prove their popularity, there are many single early cultivars available today that date back to the mid-19th century.
Division 2 Double Early Tulips
Doubles are also known as the peony tulip, for their decorative semi double and double cup-shaped blooms. They tend to keep their petals longer than the single types, making them an excellent tulip to grow for cut flowers.
Division 3 Triumph Tulips
Although often found with cup shaped flowers, rounded flowers or long, slightly flared petals are also possible. Some varieties may have bi-coloured flowers. This is a robust group, blooming mid-season, largely due to the tulips being a developed by crossing early and late season tulips.
Division 4 Darwin Hybrid Tulips
This is one of the potentially confusing types of tulips, as Darwin hybrids are a mix of Single Earlies, Tulipa fosteriana and species tulips. These are a 20th century hybridisation,by the breeder Dirk Lefeber, who crossed 19th century Darwins with Tulipa fosteriana. These mid-season tulips have huge, goblet or pyramid shaped flowers. Unlike many Tulips, they are reliable perennials.
Division 5 Single Late Tulips
Similar to Division 1 Singles, but with slightly more open flowers, which can be oval to almost square and often have pointed petals. These are another 20th century creation through a series of hybrid crosses and offer elegant beauty in late spring.
Division 6 Lily flowered Tulips
As suggested by their name, these tulips have blooms with lily-shaped petals. flowering mid to late season. Some cultivars are evocative of the pointed tulips that were so beloved in the Ottoman Empire, while others resemble lilies much more closely. It was in the palace of an early 13th century Ottoman Sultan where the first known illustration of a lily flowered tulip was found on a tile.
Division 7 Fringed Tulips
These types of tulips literally have fringes on the edges of the petals. Fringed tulips arose from mutations within other groups, and so may bloom at various times. The fringe may be upright or dangling, delicately crimped or ‘coupe sauvage’. They flower mid or late season.
Division 8 Viridiflora Tulips
These late flowering tulips have blooms with flares or splashes of green in varying shades stretching upwards from the base. They may be single, double, parrot or lily-shaped and the stems vary in length. Possibly this is one of those love or loathe blooms: for me it depends on the colour combination.
Division 9 Rembrandt Tulips
Painted tulips. Think Dutch still life paintings and the famous broken tulips of the Tulipomania craze. These bi-colored flamed tulips resemble those earlier flowers that were marked due to a virus. However, the Rembrandt’s flamed and feathered petals are nowadays stable mutants of healthy plants from many of other groups. There is a variety of shapes and sizes and flower pretty much throughout the Tulip season. One of my favourite tulips.
Division 10 Parrot Tulips
Not to be confused with fringe cultivars, these parrot types of tulips have fringed, curled, ruffled or twisted petals, all with a feathery appearance. These flamboyant flowers are a mutation from Triumph tulips and bloom in the late season on tall stems. Another of the love or loathe blooms: personally I adore them!
Division 11 Double Late Tulips
With large showy, fully double flowers, Double Late tulips are also known as peony tulips. And also sometimes called rose tulips, as many varieties have scented blooms. .
Division 12 Kaufmanniana Tulips
Small and very early flowering, these tulips have water-lily like flowers which open nearly full in sunlight. Not surprisingly, these flattened out flowers are often known as water lily tulips. The flowers can be bi-coloured and the leaves may be striped or mottled.
Division 13 Fosteriana Tulips
Also known as Emperor tulips, they flower early with large blooms in striking single colours. Although slender when closed, once in full sun the flowers open up as wide as 18 cm. The most famous of the Fosteriana tulips is the Red Emperor. Originally introduced as Madame Lefeber it is known by both names today (in case you want to buy some).
Division 14 Greigii Tulips
Like the Kaufmanniana group of tulips, Greigii types have distinctive mottled or striped foliage. The leaves tend to spread downwards, showing to better advantage their colouring. One of the more compact types of tulips, they’re good for containers and small gardens. Greigii tulips are early flowering and an pretty reliable as perennial planting.
Division 15 Species Tulips
Known as Species or Botanical tulips these are the wild ancestors of the hybrids and cultivars we grow in our gardens. There are about 100 species of tulips native to Eastern Europe and central Asia. Species tulips have some of the smallest flowers but whilst they may look delicate they are generally very hardy and reliably perennial – and long lived. Early flowering.
For ideas when combining Tulips with other flowers in your garden borders and pots, see blog links below. (as otherwise this would be a very long blog…)
A few Tips for Showing Tulips
Many local spring shows are held in April, so you may find that the tulip classes in the schedule are not too taxing for beginners.
If you can, visit other local and regional shows to see how other people display their tulips. (No touching the exhibits though!) Take notes and photos of blooms and arrangements you like.
Visit Tulip Festivals and gardens with mixed border displays for inspiration too. I mean, we will be growing tulips for our gardens as well as for showing!
Exhibiting your Tulips
- Do NOT wire up the blooms, support the stems with a stick inside or otherwise artificially support them, as you’ll get disqualified.
- Read the schedule and society’s guidelines carefully and ask if you’re not sure.
- Only show cut blooms that are at their peak. There may be classes for individual and groups of 3 or 5 tulips in vases.
- There will also be classes for tulips displayed in pots, ie still growing. These may be for one cultivar, or two or three together. They may or may not allow mixing of types of tulips.
- Tulips in pots are probably easier for a beginner to display, as if they’re not all quite open that’s fine. Plus they’re more likely to still be looking good when the public come in the afternoon!
And finally
If you’re lucky enough to live near one of the National Collections of Tulipa, take advantage to see rare varieties. For example, the Botanic Garden at Cambridge University has a National Collection of species tulip. Tulip Festivals are held across the country during April and May – time your visit to match the types of tulips you’d like to see.
Oh and if you fancied seeing acres of tulips without the expense of travelling abroad, head to Norfolk for over 30 acres of them! But if you love tulips, it is worth a trip to Holland, especially the famous Keukenhof.
Whatever you do with your different types of tulips, have fun, enjoy your garden and if Plews can help you with anything, please do get in touch. For example –
Why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden? You could learn how to grow an orchard of citrus fruits in your conservatory. We can help with both gardening basics and more ‘expert tasks’, carry out worm and other experiments and for example, also show you how to plan a vegetable plot. Have a read through this pdf download for info.
And if you prefer company, there are small group Gardening Workshops to come to. Plus get your local garden club, allotment, WI, U3A or other group to ask me along to give a talk (and bring plants 😉)
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below Plus we have a monthly Tipsheet (currently changing our provider, so there may be a delay) You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops Although later dates and topics still need to be finalised, there are current ones on Eventbrite for you to book into. Follow for updates on topics and dates on Instagram, Eventbrite, Facebook
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
How to Enjoy Spring Flowering Bulbs
Tulips, Tulip-o-mania and Tulip Virus
