Tulipa Avignon Parrot

Tulipa 'Avignon Parrot' is a superb variety of Parrot Group tulip, bearing large flowers with ruffled and satin-like 'plumage'. It boasts a faded red to orange colour, flamed with green, with a hint of pink at the centre of the petals. This variety has short but sturdy stems, which withstand bad weather well. With its late and flamboyant flowering, it deserves a prominent place in a flower bed or in a lovely pot on a patio. Its flowers are ideal for creating voluptuous and fantastic bouquets, in the manner of Flemish masters.

Tulipa 'Avignon Parrot' belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is currently classified in the 'Parrot Group' of tulips, whose main characteristic is to have huge flowers with twisted, puffed, ruffled, and irregularly fringed petals. 'Avignon Parrot' was obtained through mutation (sudden appearance of new characteristics that are maintained in subsequent generations). It is an improvement of the cultivar 'Orange Favourite'. Its name refers to the popular tulip 'Avignon', which has a very similar colour. 'Avignon Parrot' forms a stout 45cm (18in) tall flowering plant. The flowers sit perched on the stems above the broadly lanceolate leaves. These astounding blooms, with a minimum diameter of 15cm (6in), are all different. The green buds reveal warm tones when they open, with a deep orange-red, flamed with dark green, yellow, and pink. Flowering takes place at the end of April or the beginning of May, towards the end of the tulip season.

Parrot Group tulips are renowned for their rich colours, stunning and variegated flowers, and suitability in flower beds and bouquets. In the 18th century, they were considered monstrous. This group developed a lot in the 1930s, when it was discovered that irradiating bulbs with X-rays caused this mutation. They are unmatched for bringing the colours of spring to pots or sunny gardens. This tulip beautifully decorates balconies and patios. When designing your flower beds, you must consider the height and flowering period of the tulips, as these parameters can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant extra bulbs for bouquets, as they make superb cut flowers that last a long time in a vase.