Tulipa greigii Pinocchio

Tulipa greigii 'Pinocchio' is a dwarf variety bearing pinkish-red single flowers with ivory-white edged petals and a bronze heart. It blooms in a wide corolla under the sun and closes in the evening. It flowers in April. Its beautiful foliage is grey-green marbled with purple. It performs excellently in flower beds, remains in the ground during winter, and faithfully blooms every year, creating an unforgettable display each spring in rockeries and planters. It proves to be robust and loyal, resistant to drought, and thrives in all sunny, well-drained gardens.

Tulipa greigii 'Pinocchio' is a botanical tulip belonging to the Liliaceae family. The species T. greigii was the first to be cultivated from wild bulbs, after being brought from Uzbekistan to Germany in 1871. It is native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran. It has given rise to numerous cultivars, including 'Pinocchio'. This small tulip will not exceed 25cm (10in) in height when in bloom. Its foliage is slightly greyish-green, fairly wide, and marked with brown to purple spots. The flowers appear in April, earlier or later depending on the climate. They are a very bright pink, flirting with carmine, bordered with ivory on each pointed petal. They open widely to reveal a bronze-tinted heart. They bloom under the sun and close under grey skies.

Botanical tulips do not degenerate over time like large-flowered tulips. They naturalise and can remain in place for several years without any special maintenance, thriving in borders and rockeries. To create colourful scenes, they can be paired with various small bulb plants such as crocus, Allium moly, Ipheion uniflorum, muscaris, Cyclamen coum, and Erythronium pagoda. These tulips are unrivalled in bringing spring colour to pots or sunny gardens.