Tulipa Ballade - Lily flowering Tulip

'Ballade' is a lily-flowered tulip with intense magenta-pink flowers edged with a delicate white border, creating a superb effect when planted en masse. As a late tulip, it thrives well in the garden and is excellent as a cut flower. We should rediscover these beautiful lily-flowered tulips, which have unfortunately become rare in our gardens.

The 'Ballade' lily-flowered tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family. It is classified in division 6 of horticultural tulips, which has 15 divisions. Their main characteristics are as follows: they bear single flowers, they bloom in the second half of spring, and they have narrow cup-shaped flowers with pointed and recurved petals that open star-like towards the end of their blooming period. During the day, these flowers open widely. They were created in the early 20th century. This variety reaches a height of 50cm (20in) when in bloom in late April or early May. The foliage is thinner than that of other tulips and each solitary flower is supported by a delicate-looking stem that is resistant to bad weather.

The 'Ballade' lily-flowered tulip finds a place in large mass plantings. Its fresh colour allows it to be combined with white or red tulips to create a beautiful contrast. This also increases the duration of flowering in mass plantings. Pair it with Corsican hellebores and euphorbias for stunning scenes. It can also be planted in borders, rock gardens, flower beds, pots and containers. This tulip looks beautiful on balconies and terraces, goes well with tall perennials and is ideal for creating elegant bouquets. When using it as a cut flower, use very little water, just a little at the bottom is enough and if your tulips open too quickly, you can add two to three ice cubes to the vase each day. Many varieties of lily-flowered tulips are grown for forcing to produce cut flowers for a large part of the year.

Regarding botanical species: tulip species are found in most parts of the old world, from Western Europe to China and Japan, including Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is located in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan. 

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These include either large adventive tulips from cultivated fields, the most well-known being the Agen tulip (Tulipa agenensis), or small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, they are called "botanical tulips," and one of the most common ones is the wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which often used to grow sheltered by vineyards and whose subspecies australis is known as the southern tulip.