Tulipa hageri Little Beauty

Tulipa hageri 'Little Beauty' is a small botanical tulip with enchanting colours. Its deep pink flowers open completely in a star shape to reveal a slate-blue to violet throat surrounded by a wide white halo. They bloom at the end of April and are popular with butterflies. Like many botanical species, this small tulip naturalises easily in the garden and faithfully blooms year after year. Plant it in full sun or partial shade, in a rock garden or raised bed to provide perfect drainage for its bulb.

Tulipa hageri is a small wild bulbous plant endemic to central Greece, the Peloponnese, and the Parnassus Mountains. It can also be found in Crete and in the vicinity of Izmir in Turkey, growing in woods and meadows. It is closely related to the orphanidea and whitallii tulips, with which it readily hybridises. All these plants belong to the Liliaceae family. Mediterranean-origin species are generally hardy. However, they dislike stagnant moisture, and appreciate summer heat and dry soil in summer, which helps the bulb to ripen while dormant at that time of year.

'Little Beauty' is a lovely tricoloured flower. It is dark pink with a blue-violet and white centre. The greyish-green foliage typically develops in January. It consists of 2 to 7 narrow, linear leaves with pointed ends. The 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) flowers appear in April-May, earlier or later depending on the climate. Solitary or grouped in 2 or 3, they are carried 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) above the ground by slender but sturdy stems that bend gracefully in the wind. Ovate and tapered, they open wide when fully bloomed, forming star-shaped clusters of pointed petals. The slightly fragrant flowers open in the sun and close when it is hidden. This tulip propagates through bulblets and eventually forms beautiful colonies. The foliage dries up and disappears in early summer, with the arrival of heat.

Botanical tulips do not degenerate over time like large-flowered tulips. They naturalise and can remain in place for several years without special care. They thrive in borders and rock gardens. They can be mixed together to create colourful scenes, and also combined with various small bulbous plants: crocus, muscari, Cyclamen coum, snowdrops, and scilla, for example. These tulips are unmatched for bringing the colours of spring to pots and sunny gardens.

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. In cultivation, they are called "botanical tulips", and one of the most common is the wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which used to often grow sheltered by vineyards. Its subspecies, australis, is known as the southern tulip.