Tulipa 'Toplips'

The 'Toplips' late double Tulip blooms beautifully in April. Its double flowers, round and reminiscent of peonies, are very attractively bicoloured in carmine red with wide white to cream edges. They are carried by short and sturdy stems, resistant to bad weather, in a basket of green foliage finely edged with white to pale yellow. Delicious in a pot, delightful in the garden, superb in a vase!

The 'Toplips' Tulip belongs to the family of lilies. Of horticultural origin, registered in 1998 in the Netherlands, it is currently classified in the group of 'Late Double Tulips', whose main characteristic is to have very double and crumpled flowers, carried by sturdy stems. 'Toplips' is a low variety (about 30cm (12in)) and its flower is of beautiful size, semi-double to double and well open. It shows excellent durability. The petals are clearly bicoloured, carmine red with cream edges becoming white. The corollas open slowly in a vase, gradually shedding their petals, depositing at their base like a shower of pearly petals. The flowering starts relatively late, often at the end of April, when other tulips have already withered for a long time. The leaves, lanceolate in shape, are thick in texture. Their basic colour is a glaucous green, finely edged with cream yellow becoming white. The foliage of tulips naturally turns yellow and dries out a few weeks after flowering, when the bulb enters a resting phase.

With varied, tender or vibrant colours, opulent and naive flowers, late double tulips bring fantasy and romance to pots or sunny gardens, in the company of the most beautiful spring blooms. You can associate the 'Toplips' tulip with pastel tulips like 'Angelique' and 'Maureen Double' or, conversely, dark ones like 'Queen of Night'. Do not forget to consider the height and flowering period when designing your flower beds, as these parameters vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant a few more bulbs for bouquets, as they last a long time in a vase.