Tulipa vvedenskyi - Botanical Tulip

Botanical tulip Tulipa vvedenskyi is a medium-sized species, rare in cultivation, that has the charm and simplicity of wild plants. It blooms in April with classic cup-shaped flowers which are large compared to its foliage, in deep and satiny vermillion red, magnificent in the sun. Even its flat, grey-green, wavy foliage is interesting. It is suited to borders and flowerbeds, in slightly wild areas of the garden where it will easily naturalise. It likes cool climates and well-drained, fertile soils, which are dry in winter, but not too dry in summer.

Botanic Tulip vvedenskyi belongs to the lily family, native to Central Asia, specifically Uzbekistan. It is variable in its natural form in terms of the height of its stem and the intense red of its flowers. This tulip will not exceed 22 to 25 cm (9 to 10in) high when in bloom. Its foliage is grey-green, narrow, with wavy edges, and appears pressed to the ground. The flowers appear in April, earlier or later depending on the climate. They are approximately 10 cm (4in) high and wide when fully open and they open widely to reveal a tiny yellow eye. As is often the case with botanic tulips, the flowers open in the sun and close when it disappears or in the late afternoon to offer a view of the outside of their petals, powdered with silver.

Botanic tulips do not degenerate over time like large-flowered tulips. They can naturalise and remain in place for several years without any special maintenance, and thrive in borders and rockeries. To create colourful scenes, they can be associated with various small bulbous plants: Crocus, Allium moly, Ipheion uniflorum… These tulips are unmatched for bringing spring colour to pots or sunny gardens.

Natural species of tulips are found in most of the ancient world, from Western Europe to China and Japan, through Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity of the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.