Tulipa humilis Samantha

Tulipa humilis 'Samantha' is a hybrid variety that stands out with its small, very double red flowers gathered in a cluster. A single bulb can form a whole bunch of up to 6 flowers, sometimes 12! This brilliant, unusual flowering appears from the beginning of spring. It is an original and very robust small plant that naturalises easily in the garden. Enjoy it also in a planter on the windowsill!

Tulipa humilis 'Samantha' is a seedling of the variety 'Tête-à-Tête' registered in the Netherlands in 2016. Like all tulips, this variety belongs to the Liliaceae family. It is a recent hybrid, derived from Tulipa humilis, a botanical species whose origins are lost between the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and as far north as Russia. Tulipa humilis has an extremely variable appearance depending on its origin.

Tulipa 'Samantha' blooms in March-April, earlier or later depending on the climate. It bears several small round, 3 cm long flowers, composed of multiple rounded petals with pointed ends, at the end of a 15cm long floral stem. Each bulb produces between 6 and 12 flowers of irregular shape. Each one has 6 outer petals streaked with light green and about 36 petals in bright red tending towards purple. At full bloom, the corolla opens to reveal a throat spotted with blue-black. The bulbs are small, 3 to 4 cm in diameter. This plant develops green leaves up to 18 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, slightly purplish on the edge, folded in a tube, at the end of winter or early spring. They dry out a few weeks after flowering when the bulb enters its dormant period.

Absolutely adorable Tulipa humilis 'Samantha' is also a reliable and faithful variety, which naturally finds a place in rockeries or on a slope, even if it is rather dry. Plant its bulbs in a planter to enjoy its beautiful flowering up close. Far from its lofty Dutch relatives, the peony-like, close-to-the-ground flowers of 'Samantha' bring the garden to life early in the season, mixed with spring crocuses.

Botanical tulips and similar tulips, like this hybrid variety 'Samantha', do not "degenerate" over time. They naturalise and can remain in place for several years without any particular maintenance in sunny borders and rockeries. To create colourful scenes, they can be associated with various small bulbs: Ipheion uniflorum, Anemone blanda, Cyclamen coum, Erythronium pagoda, Leucojum vernum...