10 
September 5, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Bed of Keizer Kroon Tulips in Regent’s Park. 
TULIPS. 
The subject of Tulips is a vast one on account oithe 
numerous species and varieties in cultivation. Fifty 
or more species are known to science, and a far larger 
number is cultivated than in the case of the species 
of Hyacinth. The vast number of varieties of Tulipa 
gesneriana may be divided into several groups or 
divisions for garden purposes—namely, early single, 
early double, Darwin and florists' Tulips. All of 
these, but certain varieties in particular, are suitable 
for bedding purposes, forming one of the leading 
features of spring gardening. Certain varieties are 
particularly adapted for early forcing or pot culture, 
and the larger of them for exhibition purposes. 
Darwin and florists’ Tulips are considered late, flower¬ 
ing in May, and are best adapted for outdoor culture. 
Florists’ Tulips proper are best adapted for exhibition 
purposes, that is, the varieties which conform to the 
canons of the florist. Those which do not come up 
to this standard are utilised for spring bedding, and 
very effective many of them are. 
Then we have a group known as Parrot Tulips, 
doubtless on account of the peculiar combination of 
scarlet, greeD, yellow, and other colours. They are 
late-flowering and characterised by large, ragged, 
lacerated, wavy, and crumpled flowers of most 
fantastic form and bizarre combinations of colour 
that defy description. When the early Tulips are in 
bloom, the buds of the Parrot Tulips are green, of 
peculiar form, and seem as if they would never be 
able to expand ; but they reach perfection at last 
and flower lovers in general become lost in admira¬ 
tion and wonder. They are very old and their 
origin lost in obscurity ; but Tulipa viridiflora is 
supposed to have had something to do with it, in the 
opinion of some authorities. Truly we are unable to 
gauge the evolution of those things even which have 
arisen under the hand of mao. For late spring 
bedding the Parrot Tulips are invaluable and well 
worthy of more extensive cultivation. 
Of late years a large number of species and garden 
forms of Tulips have been brought into requisition 
for bedding purpose^, and most charming subjects 
they are; in the first place, because they are of 
beautiful colours, and far less formal than the neatly- 
rounded and broad-petalled forms of T. gesneriana ; 
and secondly, because they arrive at perfection 
when the early Tulips are over and hold the ground 
till the summer occupants must be planted out. 
Their numbers are continually being added to from 
year to year ; and those who have not yet tried them 
for spring bedding should make a point of doing so, 
and they will be surprised with the beauty, grace, 
elegance, attractiveness, and effect of all the finer and 
2 i6re distinct forms. They hold the same relation 
to the forms of T. gesneriana, but especially to 
the florists' Tulips as border Carnations do to the 
bizarres and flakes of the florist. 
The outdoor culture of all the Tulips is one of the 
simplest. The chief conditions are that the soil 
should be friable, fairly rich and properly drained. 
The proper planting season is from the middle of 
October to the middle of November as in the case of 
Hyacinths ; but the earlier the better when the 
summer occupants of the beds have been removed. 
The method of treatment required for the pot culture 
of early exhibition varieties, is detailed in another 
column. 
Early Tulips. 
Single Varieties. — The different colours of the 
Due Van Thol group are indispensable for early 
work, particularly at Christmas. They flower about 
twelve days earlier than the early varieties of T. 
gesneriana, and for that reason may be utilised in a 
few beds to furnish the earliest display in the open 
ground The early varieties of T. gesneriana, how¬ 
ever, must always rank higher in importance for 
general bedding purposes and exhibition. The 
simpler the designs the more satisfactory they prove. 
Beautiful pure white varieties are Joost Van Vondel 
White, of large form and fine shape ; Nelly, of dwarf 
habit and fine form ; L’lmmaculee, indispensable for 
forcing ; and Pottebakker White. Other grand 
varieties of the first water are Keizer Kroon, crimson- 
scarlet, margined yellow ; Cottage Maid, silvery- 
rose pink ; Duchesse de Parma, orange-red, margined 
yellow; Pottebakker Scarlet, rich and fine; Rose 
Gris-de-liD, rose and white, dwarf and useful for pot 
work; Thomas Moore, orange ; Wouverman, rich 
purple violet ; La Reine, white, shaded with rose ; 
and La Tendresse, a large and beautiful rosy flower. 
Yellow varieties of the first rank are fairly numerous, 
and include Chrysolora, a large pure yellow flower ; 
Canary Bird, clear yellow; Pottebakker Yellow, 
clear yellow, often striped red; the sweet-scented 
Yellow Prince; and the huge golden-vellow Ophir 
d’Or. The latter is, indeed, the finest yellow of this 
class for any purpose. The rich dark scarlet Koh-i- 
noor, the magnificent dark rose Proserpine, the rich 
rosy-pink Rouge Luisante, and Vermilion Brilliant, 
whose colour is well expressed by the name, cannot 
be overlooked nor omitted from collections. Rosa 
Mundi with pale purplish-rose flowers is also hand¬ 
some for beds. Very few of the above could be 
omitted from a selection of twenty-four of the best 
early Tulips for forcing, exhibition and spring bed¬ 
ding. The accompanying illustration of a huge bed 
of Keizer Kroon in Regent’s Park will give our 
readers an idea of the style of spring bedding in the 
London parks in the matter of Tulips. This illus¬ 
tration has been furnished us by Messrs, j. Carter 
& Co., High Holbom, London. 
Double Varieties. —Where double Tulips are 
admired there is no difficulty in securing variety. 
Murillo, pale rose ; Rex rubrorum, bright red ; 
Tournesol, red and yellow ; Tournesol Yellow and 
Imperator rubrorum, scarlet-crimson are all suitable 
for forcing, and the three latter for spring bedding as 
well. Salvator Rose, rosy-white; Rozen Kroon, 
crimson-cerise ; La Candeur, pure white and Gloria 
Solis, red, with yellow edges, are all well adapted for 
beddiDg. Raphael is a forcing variety, and the 
finest of the double rose Tulips. 
Darwin and Florists’ Tulips 
The Darwin Tulips are merely a new race of 
breeders, unfettered by the rules, canons and 
limitations imposed by florists to define the standard 
necessary for a variety to take rank amongst the old 
English florists' Tulips. The door is practically left 
open for anything that is distinct and intrinsically 
beautiful. We, therefore, find a range of colour from 
pale porcelain to the darkest violet, and from pink, 
rose or red to crimson, maroon, chocolate brown and 
black. They are tall, vigorous, late Tulips flowering 
in May. They are termed breeders because they 
have not yet become broken or rectified, since they 
were raised from seed. Some are named and others 
are without that distinction. The beauty of many 
of them is fascinating. 
The florists’ Tulips also flower in May, and those 
which do not come up to the florists’ standard are 
utilised for bedding purposes with very fine effect. 
Bizarres are feathered or flamed with various shades 
of crimson or red on a yellow ground. The bybloe- 
mens are feathered or flamed with purple, lilac or 
black on a white ground. The Roses have also a 
white ground, but they are always feathered or 
flamed with pink, rose or red. These may be 
obtained of all the leading dealers, separately or in 
mixture. The 11 True English Amateur Tulips ” are 
classified in the same way, but they are more select 
and refined, because those only are selected which 
have the characteristic markings regularly defined. 
True English Amateur Tulips. 
Besides this series of the true amateur Tulips, there 
are also the old Dutch and the Flemish amateur 
Tulips, but we propose to deal only with the 
"English Amateur Tulips’’ here. This selection 
has been made from Messrs. Barr & Son’s extensive 
and famous collection at Long Ditton, Surrey. They 
have all been developed from Tulipa gesneriana, and 
flowering in May, are classed as late. Breeder 
