THE FLORIST, 
145 
ON THE EARLY TULIPS. 
Perhaps at no period of the year do our gardens present such a 
gorgeous appearance as when the many-coloured early Tulips un¬ 
fold their beauties to the increasing power of the sun. The Crocus 
and Snowdrop, though harbingers of spring, do not cause such joyful 
emotions to arise, the winter being then not fully past; but when the 
Tulip covers our parterres with brilliant colours, yielding delightful 
perfume, then it is we feel, in the words of the inspired writer, that 
“ the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,” &c.; and we look for¬ 
ward with pleasure to the coming time when Nature is adorned with 
her best apparel. 
The “ Early Tulip,” though it does not come under the term of 
a “florist’s flower,” is very much admired, and it certainly excels 
its later twin-sister both in variety and intensity of colours. What, 
for instance, can be compared to a bed of theToumesol for the regu¬ 
larity of surface, and the splendour of its two distinct colours ? The 
Tournesol panache is a new variety, larger and more showy, but its 
beauty and pride is of much shorter reign. A bed of the former is 
now in full perfection, while the latter is quite off bloom. 
Next in magnificence and size is a single variety called Keizar 
Kroon, which is indeed a noble flower, the size of which may be im¬ 
agined from an average flower holding nearly half-a-pint of peas. 
It is of a very bright yellow ground, flaked with a vivid scarlet, and 
is in every respect “ Queen” of the single Early Tulips. Rex Ru- 
brorum is a double variety of a brilliant crimson, also very large; a 
bed presents a very regular surface, and long continuance of bloom. 
Royal Standard is a pleasing flower, with a pure white ground, beau¬ 
tifully flaked with carmine, making a striking contrast. Belle Alli¬ 
ance is another single flower, very attractive, of a vivid red colour, 
a self. The new Scarlet Van Thol is very similar to it, but it has 
this difference, it very often breaks into a flaked flower, orange and 
red. Grandmaster of Malta and Bride of Harlaem are very similar in 
colours, having both pure white grounds, distinctly striped, and flaked 
with bright crimson. Alida Maria, a flower in the same style, but 
very dwarf in habit. Superintendent is a fine single flower, white, 
with a violet flake ; Conqueror is double of the same colours. The 
best double pure white is La Candeur, continuing long on bloom ; as 
single whites. White Swan and Pottebakker are the best. 
Amongst yellows we have the yellow Van Thol, dwarf and 
showy, the yellow Pottebakker, and the old Double Y^ellow, rather 
later in flowering. Bizard Aimable, Paragon Constant, and Dorothy 
Blanche, are worthless for show, and scarcely worth growing for 
varieties. 
The above, with the famed Van Thol, so well known, comprise 
the best of those grown; and there are enough shades of colour in 
them to form a great variety of beds, whose dazzling brilliancy per¬ 
haps is not surpassed by any other class of flowers. 
Anon . May 3rd. 
