Tulipa Gerbrandt Kieft

Gerbrandt Kieft Late Double Tulip is a double-flowering tulip with raspberry pink petals edged with white and streaked with green, arranged in an open cup shape resembling peonies. You can combine it with white, pink, or purple tulips to create harmony, or with Viridiflora tulips with a similar green flame. The enormous flowers stand atop 45 cm (18in) tall, sturdy stems, well above the broadly lanceolate leaves. The flowers are all different but share raspberry pink, white, and green colouration. It blooms in April-May.

The Gerbrandt Kieft Late Double Tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is currently classified in the group of "Late Doubles," whose main characteristics are enormous peony-like flowers with numerous petals and good resistance to bad weather.

Tulips are unmatched for bringing spring colour to pots or sunny gardens but remember to consider the height and flowering period when designing your flowerbeds, as these can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is a good idea to plant a few extra bulbs for beautiful cut flowers that last a long time in a vase.

Tulip species are found in most of the Old World, from Western Europe to China and Japan, including Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These are either large tulips from cultivated fields, the most well-known being the Agen Tulip (Tulipa agenensis), or small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, these are called "botanical tulips," and one of the most common is the Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which often used to grow in the shelter of vines and whose subspecies australis is known as the Southern Tulip.