Tulipa humilis Red Beauty - ORG

Some tulips have been so extensively bred that you almost forget they once grew in the wild, but this tulip ensures you don’t forget. This small, botanical tulip is native to rocky slopes high in the mountains, and that wild character is still very much present: compact, with sparse foliage, but with a flower colour that demands all your attention as soon as it opens. Exactly the sort of tulip that shows where the whole family once came from, before hundreds of cultivated varieties were developed.

Small stature, striking appearance

Whereas large tulips impress with their height, the Humilis Red Beauty does so with colour. The star-shaped flowers are a deep, rich red and open wide in the sun, with a yellow centre that further emphasises the intensity of the red. The grey-green, narrow foliage provides a calm, natural backdrop that makes the vivid flower colour stand out even more.

One of the first tulips of the year

The Red Beauty is one of the earliest-flowering tulips and often appears before the larger, classic tulips have even started to bloom. This early flowering, combined with its compact size, makes it a lovely addition amongst other early-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and grape hyacinths, and a welcome touch of cheer so early in the season, when the rest of the garden is still largely asleep.

Planting in a rockery, border or pot

Plant the organic tulip bulbs in the autumn at a depth of around 10 cm, in a sunny spot with well-drained soil, as this wild tulip does not like wet feet. It thrives in a rockery, at the edge of a border or in a pot on the patio, where it will naturalise over the years to form an increasingly dense clump. After flowering, allow the foliage to wither naturally, so that the bulb can recharge each year. Organically grown and certified NL-BIO-01, so you know exactly what’s going into the soil.