Tulipa Flaming Parrot - Parrot Tulip

This double 'Flaming Parrot' parrot tulip will catch everyone's attention and add colour to your garden. It offers large, wavy yellow flowers with red flames. This variety with intricately shaped flowers has good durability. The cheerful effect will work well in flowerbeds, rockeries, and borders, but can also be extended indoors as a bouquet.

The double 'Flaming Parrot' tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family. Originally horticultural, it is currently classified in the Parrot Tulips group, whose main characteristic is the presence of huge flowers with twisted, puffy, ruffled, irregularly fringed petals. 'Flaming Parrot' is also obtained through mutation of the 'Red Parrot' tulip (sudden appearance of new characteristics that persist in subsequent generations). It is a giant that will reach a height of 70 cm (28in) when in bloom. Perched on stems well above the broadly lanceolate leaves, the stunning flowers, with a minimum diameter of 15 cm (6in), are all different but share the yellow colour of the variegated petals with crimson red. The anthers are also highly contrasting, in very dark purple. The flowering takes place in May, at the end of the tulip season.

Plant the bulbs in autumn, from September to December, at a depth of 15 cm (6in), spacing them 10 cm (4in) apart. The planting should be done in ordinary soil, slightly acidic, neutral, or slightly calcareous, loose, well-worked, and well-drained. Never add undecomposed manure or compost to the planting soil, as this could cause the bulbs to rot. The double 'Flaming Parrot' tulip grows well in moist to dry soil. Plant it in a sunny or semi-shaded location. Once flowering is over, it is advisable to remove the fruits to avoid exhausting the plant.

With their wide range of colours, stunning and variegated flowers, suitable for both flowerbeds and bouquets, parrot tulips are well-known. In the 18th century, they were called 'monstrous'; this group became popular in the 1930s, when it was discovered that X-ray irradiation of bulbs caused this mutation. They are already among the most widely planted varieties. Unmatched for adding whimsy to pots or sunny gardens, don't forget to consider the height and flowering period when designing your flowerbeds, as these parameters vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant a few more bulbs for cutting, as they make superb long-lasting cut flowers.

About botanical species: Tulip species are found from Western Europe to China and Japan, through Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution area 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.

In Europe, there are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These include large adventive tulips from cultivated areas, the most well-known being the Agen tulip (Tulipa agenensis), as well as 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 is the wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which used to often grow under vine plants and whose subspecies australis is known as the southern tulip.