Wild tulips: Beauties of the early spring garden

I planted a lot of spring bulbs on the allotment such as crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and anemones. But the spring bulbs I love most are the wild tulips. I have now started a small collection as my allotment suits them well with lots of sunshine and well-drained soil. The first tulip to flower each year, often as early as early March, is Tulipa turkestanica with pretty white flowers with a yellow centre. I planted the bulbs in one of my steppe plantings. They like the sandy well-drained soil and come back every year.

Tulipa turkestanica

A fly is eating some pollen from a Tulipa turkestanica flower

Another tulip which likes the well-drained conditions in the steppe planting is Tulipa tarda, flowering a bit later, at the end of March. A low-growing tulip with pretty yellow and white flowers. Like many wild tulips, the flowers only open in the sunshine and look quite inconspicuous on overcast days, blending in with the surrounding vegetation. But wait until the sun comes out and suddenly they are transformed, looking like little yellow stars, closely hugging the ground. So pretty. I have also planted some Tulipa tarda in the flower meadows to provide some interest before the meadow plants start flowering.

The flowers of Tulipa tarda only open in sunshine

Tulipa praestans 'Fusilier', another beautiful tulip from Central Asia,  is starting to flower in mid March. The colour of the flowers is a pure glowing red which stands out from the surrounding green even from far away. The plants are growing in loamy soil with some sand and gravel mixed in. I love these tulips so much that I planted some more last autumn in a different area.

Tulipa praestans flowers stand out from the surrounding vegetation

Tulipa praestans has beautiful red flowers

Tulipa sylvestris is opening its pretty yellow flowers at the end of March. The flowers sit on long slim stems and are slightly nodding. The tulips feel at home under the currant bushes and have gently spread out over the years. They are quite easy to please as long as they have well-drained soil and some sunshine.

Tulipa sylvestris has slightly nodding flowers

Tulipa sylvestris

Tulipa saxatilis

 Flowering at the beginning of April is Tulipa saxatilis, a tulip with pink flowers and broad leaves. This Tulip seems to be happy in the flower border between other low-growing plants. Tulipa humilis has reddish flowers with a dark centre,  T. urumiensis is a small yellow-flowered tulip and  T. linifolia has pure red flowers and very narrow leaves.
There are many more wild tulips and I try to add a few more each year to my growing collection. In Germany I have also grown Tulipa clusiana which has yellow and red or white and red flowers on tall stems and likes sandy soil.

Tulipa humilis

Tulipa clusiana

I have also sown the seed of Tulipa sprengeri, a tall red-flowered tulip, The seeds need stratification and are currently in the fridge as they only germinate after experiencing several month of cold temperatures. Tulipa sprengeri bulbs are very difficult to buy as they are not produced commercially. Occasionally the bulbs are offered by private growers and are sold out very quickly.

Wild tulips come from mountainous areas with temperate climates, where they are a common element of steppe and winter-rain Mediterranean vegetation. They thrive in climates with long, cool springs and dry summers which we increasingly seem to get here in the South of Oxfordshire. As most wild tulips come from open habitats such as steppes and meadows they need to be planted in full sunshine. Tulipa sprengeri is the one exception as it likes the cool shade under decidous trees. The soil needs to be free-draining and not too fertile. Otherwise wild tulips don`t need much care and when happy come back every year.

Tulipa saxatilis has broad leaves and pink flowers

Bees especially solitary bees, and other early pollinators such as hoverflies, like to visit the flowers so these tulips are a good addition for a wildlife garden.

Best planting time is autumn and early winter, so don`t forget to order some this summer so you can enjoy some early spring colour next year.