Nearly time to order your tulips for next year.

Consider the full blown, in your face colours from this Parrot tulip planted last November. Tulips are one of my fascinations this year and the Parrot type are performing very well.Parrot Tulips are so named because they produce gaudy feathered petals that resemble exotic bird plumage. They like a well drained soil but will stand partial shade. Plant new Parrot Tulip bulbs each year and consign old bulbs to spare ground as they probably won’t perform as well in a second year. If you buy well, bulbs will cost less than a bunch of flowers and give so much pleasure.

Hints and Tips on Growing Parrot Tulips

• Tulips are great for cutting and so easy to grow.

More Hints and Tips

• Avoid buying bulbs that are soft bruised or with damaged papery coverings.
• The best flowers will come from the biggest bulbs a good big one will beat a good little one. Aim for 2″ across though the bulbs pitured came from a Pound shop and were unnamed but smaller.
• Do not be worried if Parrot Tulips appear to have green flowers they will open up to display there true colours
• Plant at the front of the border to make Parrot Tulips stand out, they flower 1-2 feet high.
• Use a planter or two planters either side of your front door
• Avoid strong wind and rain if possible. I grew these plants in the cold greenhouse until they started to flower

Single or enmass you can get a spectacular finale to the tulip season with the display of fringed Tulips.  Varieties with multiple colouring for consideration include:
Red and White Estella Rijnveld, ‘Blue Parrot’ and ‘Flaming Parrot’.
Self coloured varieties   White Parrot, Texas Gold and Black Parrot emphasise the twisted petals but also have strong colouring.

Mail order bulbs from Thompson & Morgan or try the Jersey Plants link above.

Reasons & Varieties of Tulips to order

Cut Flower Tulip varieties

More Scented Tulip varieties