Tulipa Sapporo - Lily flowering Tulip

The 'Sapporo' Tulip offers in April-May its long, elegant water lily flower, with undeniable elegance in bouquets or in flower beds. When it blooms, this flower is a buttery yellow, then it quickly fades to white-cream and opens up into an ivory-white star. Perched on short stems, the 'Sapporo' flowers blend into the colourful mosaic formed by the other water lily tulips, as they all bloom at the same time, for several weeks. 'Sapporo' lives for many years in the garden, and reliably blooms every year.

The 'Sapporo' water lily tulip belongs to the lily family. Introduced in 1992, it is classified in division 6 of horticultural tulips. The main characteristics of this category are as follows: they have single flowers and bloom in the second half of spring, the cups are narrow, the pointed tepals are recurved at opening and open up into 8 cm (3in) wide stars. During the day, these flowers become spider-like and widely open. They were created in the early 20th century. This 'Sapporo' variety will not exceed 40 cm (16in) in height when in bloom. The flowering, like an explosion of white stars, takes place in late April or early May. The foliage is thinner than that of other tulips. Each solitary flower is supported by a delicate-looking stem, but very resistant to bad weather.

A rediscovery, water lily tulips have become rare in our gardens. The 'Sapporo' tulip finds its place in large flower beds, especially in a white garden. It is an excellent alternative to the 'White Triumphator' variety, as its shorter stem harmonises in height with the other fleur-de-lis tulips. Its neutral and pure colour allows for associations with tulips in a wide range of shades. This also maximises the flowering duration of the flower beds. Combine it with Corsican hellebores and euphorbias, and you will create surprising scenes. It can also be planted in borders, rock gardens, flower beds, as well as in pots and containers. It pairs perfectly with tall perennials and is ideal for creating elegant bouquets. In a vase, use very little water. Furthermore, if your tulips open too quickly, you can add two to three ice cubes to the vase each day. Many varieties of water lily tulips are grown for forcing and produce cut flowers for a large part of the year.

Our advice: Pair it with grape hyacinths as shown in the photograph.