Tulipa turkestanica - Botanical Tulip

Tulipa turkestanica is a vigorous botanical tulip native to Central Asia. It is a hardy bulbous plant that easily naturalises, both through spontaneous sowing and the production of bulbils. In this multi-flowered species, each stem bears 7 to 9, or even 12, small flowers that are white-cream with a golden yellow heart. Their fragrance can be intoxicating. It is a versatile and vibrant little tulip, which grows easily in light soil. It blooms in March-April in an explosion of radiant stars.

Tulipa turkestanica is native to the mountains of Turkestan and northwestern China, where it grows on rocky slopes, often near watercourses. The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded this tulip for its ornamental qualities and performance in gardens.

Its bulb is curiously red in colour. It develops long, oval, linear, wide, incurved, grey-green leaves during winter. Flowering takes place in April, at the top of brown stems that rarely exceed 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) in height, depending on the soil fertility. Along each stem, white flowers with ivory and green reflections open completely in a star shape, revealing a yellow heart and beautiful black stamens. The fragrant flowers, 2 to 3cm (1in) in diameter, consist of 6 pointed petals. The foliage dries up and disappears in late spring or early summer, while the bulb enters a resting period. Dry soil is preferred during this dormant state. This tulip spreads through stolons.

Tulipa turkestanica naturalises very easily and multiplies rapidly, forming beautiful colonies over time. To achieve a uniform clump, we recommend adding a few bulbs each year. Stunning in a rock garden, dazzling in flower beds, they will outshine the growth and flowering of large perennials that will conceal the void they leave in summer. For example, you can combine them with tone-on-tone Anemones coronaria, heucheras with year-round colourful foliage, columbines, euphorbias, or lady's mantles.