Specialty Tulips in 2023
Back in our cutting flower field this year are specialty tulips! Several hundred tulipa bulbs were planted last fall and we are starting to harvest the first of them now. We only planted double specialty varieties this year which means most take a little longer to bloom than single landscape tulips you might have growing at home. Some of these varieties we have grown the last few years, but a few are new to us this year and we’re very excited to offer special, hard-to-find shapes and colors in the tulip family!
Here on our farm, tulips are grown as an annual. Because we harvest blooms, leaves, bulbs and all, there isn’t anything left for the bulb to set flowers for next season. Even if we re-planted the bulbs after harvest, only foliage would produce in the coming years.
The tulips we grow aren’t the common landscape tulips you see - these are specialty tulips. What makes them “special” is the array of the dazzling rainbow of colors, tall stems, double petals, soft scents and large blooms. We’ve selected these varieties for stem length and vase life - we hope you enjoy them this spring! I think you’ll fall in love with tulips in a new way, just like we did with these specialty varieties.
VARIETIES
Below are the tulips we have growing in 2023:
Photos are not our own but sourced from a well-known flower farm, supplier, and education resource - Floret (because she takes gorgeous photos!)
Mondial
Large, snow-white blooms open to reveal a glowing gold center. The flowers resemble peonies.
DOUBLE • EARLY-BLOOMER (APRIL)
Gudoshnik Double
A sunny harmony of warm hues of rainier cherries in shades of buttery yellow, orange, salmon, coral, and red.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (APRIL-MAY)
Blue Diamond
This large, violet treasure’s beauty only intensifies as it ages. Individual flowers open and hold well, showing detailed veining on the edges.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (APRIL-MAY)
Professor Rontgen
Palm-sized orange blooms. The green-streaked, tangerine petals surround a cheerful yellow throat, making a bold, unforgettable statement.
PARROT • LATE-BLOOMER (APRIL-MAY)
Charming Beauty
This egg-yolk-and-glowing-peach beauty opens to a ruffled double bloom that resembles a garden rose or peony.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (MAY)
Black Hero
Velvety lustrous midnight-black blooms with a marron sheen atop long, strong stems.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (MAY)
Aveyron
Super-double, peony-like flowers are a glowing, berry-toned rose pink. Dark gray anthers rise among ruffled central petals with lighter veining.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (MAY)
Renown Unique
One of the last tulips to flower. Full, peony-shaped, watermelon-pink flowers have yellow anthers rather than the usual black. Outer tips of the petals are brushed with green.
DOUBLE • LATE-BLOOMER (MAY)
VASE LIFE TRICKS
Most of these tulip varieties have a vase life 7-10 days. We try to harvest once the buds start to color before they’ve really bloomed. Once in a vase with floral food, kept at room temperature, blooms will start to open. Keep in mind stems will elongate during the first few days, so if you’re adding them to an arrangement, nestle the flowers down deeper than you ultimately want them to be. Please remember to clip the stems with a change to the vase water every couple of days and add more flower food to prolong the vase life of tulips and keep the petals vibrant and richly colored. Read more on fresh flower care here!