Tulipa Libretto Parrot

Tulipa Libretto Parrot has puffed and twisted petals that blend creamy white, light salmon pink, and lilac in their folds. All these watercolour shades are animated by green flames and yellow highlights that streak the corolla. Perched on sturdy stems, this precious flower beautifully completes the tulip season with unmatched originality, happily accompanying flowering perennials. It is also an excellent cut flower, to be included in a baroque-inspired bouquet.

Tulipa 'Libretto Parrot' belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is a highly appreciated and widely cultivated variety belonging to the 'Parrot Tulips' group, whose main characteristic is huge flowers with twisted, puffy, ruffled, and irregularly fringed petals. 'Libretto Parrot' is also obtained through mutation (sudden appearance of new characteristics that are maintained in subsequent generations). It is medium-sized (40cm (16in)) and its flower is large, easily measuring 10 cm (4in) in diameter. Its palette of variegated colours includes cream, green, white, flesh pink and bluish pink to mauve lilac, with large areas of light yellow. Each flower has its own personality and evolves differently over time. The original shape of the parrot tulip adds extra charm, making it touching and delightful, even when its buds slowly but fully open in a vase revealing a yellow centre. It flowers in late April, at the end of the tulip season.

Parrot tulips are well-known for their wealth of colours and stunning and variegated flowers, suitable for flowerbeds and bouquets. In the 18th century, they were called 'monstrous' but this group developed a lot in the 1930s when it was discovered that irradiating bulbs with X-rays caused this mutation. They are among the most widely planted varieties. The 'Libretto Parrot' Tulip will delicately adorn a centrepiece or bridal bouquet.

Tulips are unmatched for adding charm to pots or sunny gardens. remember to consider the height and flowering period when designing your flowerbeds, as these can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is a good idea to plant a few more bulbs for superb cut flowers that last a long time in a vase.

About 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 distribution area also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is in the Pamir and Hindukush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan. 

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. They are either large 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, these are called "botanical tulips," and one of the most common is the Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which often used to grow sheltered by vines and whose subspecies australis is known as the Southern Tulip.