Tulipa humilis var. pulchella

Tulipa humilis var. pulchella is a beautiful variant of the botanical species T. humilis, with flowers that are a lovely purple-pink and speckled with light lilac in the centre. It offers slowly opening star-shaped flowers in the month of March, emitting a unique fragrance. Originating from the mountains of Turkey and Iran, it is a cold-resistant plant adapted to rocky terrain and arid conditions, which naturalizes easily in such slightly Spartan conditions. It looks stunning in pots, rockeries, or dry borders.

Tulipa humilis, meaning "of small size," is a wild species that rarely exceeds 20cm (8in) in height. Its origins can be traced back to the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and even northern Russia. It has an extremely variable appearance depending on its origin, a characteristic that sometimes makes it difficult to identify its subspecies or varieties. Tulips are herbaceous bulbous plants of the Liliaceae family, with small bulbs that do not exceed 3 to 4cm (1 to 2in) in diameter.

The pulchella variation produces a short floral stem not exceeding 15cm (6in), with a globular flower consisting of 3 pointed sepals that are identical to the 3 petals, known as tepals. They are tricoloured, in purple-pink, white, and mauve at the base. The corolla takes its time to fully open in the sun, forming a star shape and emitting a subtle and somewhat indescribable fragrance, both sweet and peppery. This plant develops dark green-blue leaves that are relatively narrow, sometimes almost curled, measuring 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) in length. They appear in autumn in mild climates, persist through winter, and dry up at the end of spring.

Tulipa humilis var. pulchella is a little gem, but it is also a reliable and faithful plant if its preferred conditions are respected: a dry and preferably limestone soil in summer, and cold and fairly dry winters. It will naturally find its place in a rockery, along a well-drained path, or on a slightly wild slope. Far from the large calyxes of its Dutch cousins, its small stars close to the ground bring the garden to life from the end of winter, sometimes being mistaken for crocuses. It adapts well to container or pot cultivation, allowing for a close-up view of its unusual flowering and its strange fragrance. It can be interesting to plant Tulipa humilis amidst silver baskets: their flowers emerge from this silvery carpet that will bloom at the right time to conceal their withered foliage.

 Botanical tulips, as well as closely related tulips like this selection, do not 'degenerate' over time. They naturalize, can remain in place for several years without special maintenance, and thrive in borders and rockeries. To create colorful scenes, they can be combined with various small bulbous plants: Ipheion uniflorum, Anemone blanda, Cyclamen coum, Erythronium pagoda, Leucojum vernum, etc.