Tulipa kaufmanniana Hearts Delight

The Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Heart's Delight' is a variety of small size, with very early flowering, which belongs to the "water lily" tulips, whose corolla unfolds like a water lily. It is similar to a delightful botanical species that blooms from the end of winter. This variety, Heart's Delight, produces carmine flowers edged with pale pink to white, enhanced with yellow at the base. Under the flower, there is more or less marbled purple foliage that is not without charm. This hardy bulbous plant naturalises quite easily in well-drained soils, even dry in summer. Combine it with randomly scattered botanical crocuses in your shrub and perennial beds.

Native to the mountains of Central Asia, the Tulipa kaufmanniana or Kaufmann's Tulip extends in large carpets on the dry and rocky meadows of its native Turkestan. This species is the origin of numerous cultivars and hybrids with bright colours, including the pretty variety 'Heart's Delight', introduced to the market in 1952. Its bulb is round, covered with a brown tunic, and measures about 3 cm (1in) in diameter. The plant forms a small clump in spring composed of 2 to 5 lanceolate, wide leaves, 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10in) long. The flowering stem, 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) tall, sometimes bears the bud of a pink-red, which will release a flower in March with 6 petals that are not pointed, but have rounded edges. It opens widely in the sun, almost flat, in a hexagonal star shape, 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter. The inside of the corolla is almost white, revealing a yellow heart. At this moment, it resembles more a water lily than a tulip. The corolla closes when the sun hides. 'Heart's Delight' exhibits more colourful petals on the outside. They are coloured with bright pink-red towards the centre, lighter on the edges. The base of the petals is yellow.

The Kaufmann's tulips are very hardy plants that naturalise easily in the garden under the right conditions. They prefer cold and humid winters and dry summers. They are used in sunny rockeries or at the base of deciduous trees and shrubs with late foliage, such as deciduous spindles, or with light foliage like certain elderberries. 'Heart's Delight', with its delightful flowering, pairs very well with crocuses and early white botanical daffodils, which bloom at around the same time, in March-April. You can also plant their bulbs in pots on your terrace or balcony, their flowering will celebrate the arrival of spring.