Dwarf tulips are ideal for tubs, window boxes and other containers as well as in clumps at the front of sunny borders. And, as well as colourful flowers on short, wind-resistant stems most Greigii tulips also feature foliage striped in dusky purple. Varieties available from mail order sources seem to come and go so here I’ve brought together one newcomer with two older varieties which are available by mail order this year having been missing from the catalogues last year.
The newcomer is ‘Albion Star’ whose white flowers feature a delicate pink blush on the outer petals. Plants reach about 12in/30cm in height in full flower and are at their peak towards the end of April. In this case the foliage is plain green but ‘Albion Star’ would look lovely with the short pink forget-me-not ‘Rosylva’.
‘Cape Cod’, on the other hand, has been around since 1955 but was strangely absent from this year’s RHS Plant Finder. Now it’s available again. The outer petals of ‘Cape Cod’ are mostly deep apricot orange shading to a yellow edge; the inner petals are yellow with a matching apricot orange flash through the centre. The heart of the flower is black. ‘Cape Cod’ flowers in March and April and would look well in a container with a yellow-leaved heuchera such as ‘Citronelle’. It also features foliage striped in dusky purple.
Finally, another oldie returning to the fold, ‘Sweet Lady’ is shorter at only about 6-8in/15-20cm and features pinkish red flowers with an apricot haze towards the base which is olive green around the stem. Flowering in March and April, with its short stature and striped leaves it can be planted at the very front of a container and will be attractive from when the leaves first emerge.
Source: RHS My Garden – Greigii Tulips: New and Returning from De Jager
