It's tulip time! November is by far the best time of year to plant tulips – a little later than most bulbs, to avoid the nasty fungal disease tulip fire causing brown spots and distorted leaves.
There's a dazzling array of tulips in our garden centre, and your choice is likely to be very personal to you. Some like planting in blocks of single colour for maximum impact: others pair two varieties with contrasting colours. Deep purple 'Queen of Night' with pure white 'Maureen', for example, make a striking black-and-white display.
Be careful to pair up your tulips so they both flower at the same time, as there are early, mid-season and late varieties. For the longest possible display from April right through till June, start with an early: say sumptuous coppery double-flowered 'William of Orange'. Then move to the mid-season flowering Darwin hybrids like scarlet 'Apeldoorn', starting in late April into May.
The lily-flowered tulips like 'White Triumphator' flower sumptuously through May; then you can finish your display with a flourish by planting some lovely single late varieties. 'Bleu Aimable' is dusky lilac, while 'Sorbet' is pink-tinged white striped flaming red.
There are dozens more to choose from in our garden centre: just ask our staff for details.
