Tulipa Queen of the Night - Early simple Tulip

Tulipa 'Queen of Night' is undoubtedly the best and darkest of the so-called "black" tulips. It remains unmatched today for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden. It produces large corollas of a velvety dark brown-purple colour with ashy reflections, carried by long and sturdy stems. It faithfully reflowers year after year. It is one of the last to bloom in the garden, accompanying the most beautiful spring blooms in pastel tones. It is also a fabulous cut flower.

Tulipa 'Queen of the Night' is part of the ancient Darwin hybrid varieties. Of horticultural origin, it is currently classified in Division 5, whose main characteristic is late-season flowering. Among the tallest, it will reach 60cm (24in) in height when in bloom. The elegant flowers sit at the top of sturdy stems, well above the broadly lanceolate leaves. Without being truly black, the colour hovers between mahogany-brown and dark purple, depending on the light. It bears beautiful ashy reflections that make it appear almost black and iridescent, especially against the light. Flowering takes place from April to May, which makes it useful in the garden to transition between early blooms and the first summer ones.

The late single tulip 'Queen of the Night' works well in large well-drained beds, alongside leafy plants (grasses, fennel, lady's mantle) and late tulips with pastel blooms, pink tones ('Angelique'), white flowers ('Maureen'), or mauve shades ('Shirley'). It looks beautiful with perennials such as peonies or wallflowers with pastel tones. They maximise the blooming time of flower beds. You can plant them in borders, rockeries, flower beds, pots, and containers. They look wonderful on balconies and patios. The flowers are ideal for creating elegant bouquets. Only use a little water in a vase. If your tulips open too quickly, you can add two to three ice cubes to the vase each day.