Tulipa Christmas Carol - Single early tulip

The Single Early Tulip 'Christmas Carol' is a vibrant variety that brightens early spring displays with its beautiful, perfectly formed, solid red flowers, elegantly borne on sturdy stems. Its upright habit and well-structured flowering make it an ideal plant for beds, borders, containers, or early cut flower arrangements. It blooms from late March, and its robust stems provide good resistance to the whims of early spring weather, ensuring remarkable performance both in beds or borders and in cut flower arrangements.

The 'Christmas Carol' tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family. It is classified in the Single Early group (Division 1) characterised by large single flowers, a short and sturdy habit, and early flowering. Single Early tulips captivate with their rich colour palette and sturdy blooms, making them ideal for both garden displays and cut flower arrangements. Their early and prolonged flowering makes them perfect candidates for bringing the first spring colours to pots or containers. In sunny gardens, they offer a structured and luminous presence. When designing your floral displays, it is essential to consider the height and flowering period specific to each cultivar. Plan for a few extra bulbs for cut flowers: they make excellent, long-lasting and elegant cut flowers.

The 'Christmas Carol' is a cultivar introduced in the Netherlands by Jan de Wit, with late winter flowering and the ability to be forced on for Christmas. The habit is erect, the stems reach about 35 cm in open ground, with medium green, lanceolate, deciduous foliage. Growth is rapid in spring, reaching maturity within a few weeks after breaking from dormancy. It does not usually produce offsets but may naturalise moderately. The 7 cm in diameter cup-shaped flowers open in March–April, formed of six red tepals. The root system consists of a round bulb 4–6 cm in diameter with shallow, fasciculate roots.

In the arrangement of a spring bed, the 'Christmas Carol' tulip stands out as a red spark at the heart of the garden's still timid colours. Its neat habit and disciplined flowering enable it to punctuate a classic border or burst forth in bright spots in a large pot on a sunny patio. It pairs wonderfully with the 'Monte Carlo' tulips and their soft yellow, the 'Blue Magic' grape hyacinths which highlight its vivacity, or the 'Jetfire' daffodils which accompany its flowering with their bright and slender silhouette.