A Tulip Surprise

It’s surprising what little it takes to produce the feeling of sheer delight together with some frustration on occasions.

After growing just a few tulips in pots in 2016, last autumn I went mad and bought a lot of tulip bulbs.  I didn’t spend a lot of money from well known websites, and went to my local garden center instead and my planting ‘scheme’ was to distribute them in no particular order across the flowerbeds.   The fault in this planting came to light this morning, when I found two tulips in flower that I didn’t know the name of, hence the sheer delight coupled with frustration.

Tulip Kaufmanniana ‘Ancilla’After posting a couple of photos on Twitter to ask what this pretty white tulip was called and getting no response, which is not surprising really, it’s Monday morning and most people are working, I then searched out the old bulb packets which I had carefully stored in a drawer and not thrown away.  Eventually I found one labeled mix of 25 bulbs called Tulip Kaufmannia ‘Mixed’, and turning to Google found this white tulip was ‘Ancilla’.

The difference between the closed flower and when it opens is spectacular. I love the red and yellow ring around the stamen which is very eye-catching and if you look very carefully there are tiny little pink dots on the tip of the petals.   According to the pack, the other tulips will be orange and red.

Kaufmanniana Tulips are also known as a water lily tulip.  They have short sturdy stems and, as proven today, are usually the first tulips to flower.   Ideal for ground cover, they are also good for containers and window boxes and will gradually multiply if left in the ground.

This little photo on the left is courtesy of the Thompson & Morgan website, gives you an idea of the other colours that are yet to come.  Spring is such an exciting time.