Tulip
Tulips (Tulipa) are a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes that bloom in the spring season. The flowers are typically huge, spectacular, and vibrantly coloured, either red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm colours). At the base of the tepals (petals and sepals, collectively), they frequently feature an interior blotch of a distinct colour. Classification has been difficult and contentious because of the populations' degree of variation within them and their long history of cultivation. The tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family of flowers, which also includes 14 other genera. It is most closely related to the genera Amana, Erythronium, and Gagea in the tribe Lilieae.
There are four subgenera and a total of 75 species in this group. The Persian word for turban is said to be the source of the name "tulip," which the plant's discoverers may have wrongly thought the plant resembled. Although tulips were originally only found in a zone spanning from Southern Europe to Central Asia, they have subsequently been widely naturalised and farmed. In their natural state, steppes and mountains with temperate climates are the greatest places for them. They flower in the spring and enter a dormant state in the summer when their leaves and flowers are lost. An above-ground branch from the subsurface bulb will emerge in the early spring.
After being found growing wildly across most of the Near East and Central Asia, tulips were first cultivated in Constantinople in 1055. By the fifteenth century, tulips were among the most prized flowers, and the Ottoman Empire came to be identified with them. It's possible that tulips were produced in Persia as early as the ninth century, but it wasn't until the sixteenth century that Western ambassadors travelling to the Ottoman court became aware of them and began to document their existence. During the tulip frenzy, they were quickly introduced into Europe and turned into a highly sought-after item. Since the Netherlands, the primary supplier of tulips for international markets, frequently featured tulips in its paintings throughout the Dutch Golden Age. The flower has come to be linked with the country. The tulip breaking virus invaded tulip bulbs during the Dutch tulip craze of the seventeenth century, resulting in a variety of patterns in the tulip flowers that were highly sought and adored. The nearest cultivable varieties now are Rembrandts, so named because Rembrandt painted some of the most admired breaks of his time, even though true broken tulips are no longer grown.
In addition to the original species, breeding programmes have developed thousands of hybrids and cultivars (known in horticulture as botanical tulips).
Colours
During the tulip fever of the seventeenth century, the "Semper Augustus" was the priciest kind of tulip. After observing the tulip in the garden of a certain Dr. Adriaen Pauw, a director of the new East India Company, Nicolas van Wassenaer described it in 1624: " The colour is white with Carmine over a blue base and an uninterrupted flame that extends all the way to the top. Some believe that the obsession was caused by Pauw's refusal to sell any blooms in the face of fast rising bids, given that there were few examples at the time and that Pauw owned the majority of them.
The nectaries on tulip blossoms are absent, and they appear in a wide range of colours besides pure blue (some tulips with the label "blue" have a faint violet tint). Tulip flowers are the coolest of all floral characters because they typically lack scent. The Dutch saw this lack of perfume as a virtue since it shows how chaste the flower is.
Tulips can be developed to exhibit a wide range of colours, but historically it has been challenging to produce black tulips. The Queen of the Night tulip, which is actually a dark, glossy maroon yet looks as close to black as a blossom can get, is prized by the Dutch for its aesthetic effect. In Bovenkarspel, Netherlands, a Dutch flower grower created the first totally black tulip in 1986. The Queen of the Night and Wienerwald tulips, two varieties of deep purple tulips, were crossed pollinated to produce the specimen.
Tulip Growing Tips
In late winter or early spring, tulips typically start to emerge from the ground. The risk is lower than it might appear if unexpectedly mild weather results in early growth in the winter. Daffodils and tulips can withstand chilly temperatures. However, growth can be slowed down if freezing winter temperatures return. Snow may protect the foliage from excessive cold, which is why it is useful in this situation.
Planting Season
Tulip bulbs are sown in the autumn before the ground freezes. By planting varieties with diverse bloom periods, tulips can blossom at various points throughout the spring. The majority of cultivars create excellent cut flowers, and some are perfect for encouraging indoor blooming.
The typical cup-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals. There is a tulip for every circumstance, from small "species" tulips in naturalised woodland settings to larger tulips that fit classic garden plantings from beds to borders. The single or double upright flowers are available in a range of designs, from simple cups, bowls, and goblets to those that are more elaborate. six inches to two feet in height. Each stem has two to six broad leaves and one tulip.
Tulips is Annual or Perennial Bulbs?
Tulips are theoretically perennials, but centuries of hybridization have made it harder for the bulb to grow itself year after year. Because of this properties, many gardeners treat them as annuals and sow new bulbs every time.
Planting Tulips
When to Plant Tulips
Tulip bulbs should be planted 6 to 8 weeks prior to the anticipated first hard, ground-freezing frost. The bulbs need time to grow and self sustainable. Early planting increases the risk of damage due to frost.
Bulbs should be planted when local average nightly temperatures are between 40 and 50 degrees.
Plant the bulbs as soon as possible after buying because it is never designed for bulbs to linger above ground.
Plant bulbs in late November or December if you live in a region with a moderate winter. Prior to planting, the tulip bulbs must be cooled in the refrigerator for about 12 weeks. (The sellers frequently sell pre-chilled bulbs as well.)
Selection and Preparations Planting Site
Tulips appreciate a location with afternoon or full sun to grow healthily. Tulips like shade or only morning sun in high temperature areas as they don't sustain when overheated.
A well draining, fertile, neutral to slightly acidic, dry, or sandy soil is best suited for planting the Tulips.
The site should be well protected from strong winds.
The planting location must be large enough to accommodate the spacing of 4 to 6 inches between the each bulbs.
Loosen the soil with a garden fork or tiller to a depth of 12 to 15 inches and add 2 to 4 inch layer of compost to the garden bed.
African Tulip
How to Plant Tulips
Before planting the bulbs, loosen the soil and allow for drainage. The hole should be 3 to 6 inches deep.
Place the bulb in the hole, pointed end facing upward. Put some soil on top and firmly press it down.
After planting, water the bulbs properly. The bulbs need water to promote growth, even if they can't stand having their feet wet.
When you plant perennial tulips, if you intend to raise them, give them a balanced fertiliser. Bulbs, which function as their own complete storage system, hold all the nutrients required for an entire year. Compost, organic material, or a balanced time-release bulb food should all be used.
If mice and moles have been a problem, put holly or any other prickly leaves in the planting holes to deter them. Some gardeners use kitty litter or crushed pebbles. You might need to take more drastic steps, such as growing bulbs in buried wire cages, if voracious voles and rodents are an actual problem.
If you're planting your tulips later in the season, don't give up hope—just remember these suggestions.
How to Grow Tulips
Do not water the tulip plants when it rains frequently. However, water the bulbs every week until the ground freezes if there is a dry spell and it does not rain.
Wet soil, irrigation systems, and wet summers all kill tulips. A bulb bed should never be intentionally watered unless there is a drought. Wet soil can kill bulbs because it encourages the growth of fungus and disease. Sand, shredded pine bark, or any other coarse material can be incorporated into the soil to encourage rapid drainage.
Apply compost each year to provide plants with the nutrients they require to thrive in the future.
Feed your tulip with the same bulb food or bone meal you used when you first planted it in the spring when the leaves start to appear. Water wisely.
Deadhead tulips as soon as they fade, but leave the leaves on.
After flowering, keep the plants' leaves on for about six weeks. The foliage of the tulips aids in storing energy for their blooming the following year. Once the foliage has turned yellow and withered back, you can clip it off.
Large varieties might need to be replanted every few years, while small types often reproduce and spread on their own.
Recommended Varities of Tulips
Depending on the type, tulip blossoms can be solitary, double, ruffled, fringed, or lily-shaped.
Tulips in the wild, or "Species," are tiny, with heights between 3 and 8 inches. More resilient than hybrids, they. They look best when planted as a carpet of colour and also bloom in the South. Lilac Wonder is a favourite of ours.
The most popular type of tulip is the single, cup-shaped Triumph hybrid.
Best choices are:
Purple, pink, and lilac coloured petals cover the "Cracker tulip," which blooms in the middle of spring.
'Ile de France' blooms in the middle of the season, bearing magnificent crimson blossoms on stems up to 20 inches tall.
'Calgary' blooms in the middle of spring and has snow-white flowers and blue-green foliage.
Despite the fact that tulips are frequently planted as annuals, Darwin Hybrid types are rumoured to behave more like perennials and bloom for several years.
Tulips come in so many lovely varieties. Look through catalogues and try some things in the garden!
Consumption
The petals of tulip blooms are edible. The flavour varies with variety and season, but it often tastes like lettuce or other salad greens. Tulips can cause allergies in some people.
Although tulip bulbs resemble onions, they are normally not to be used as food. It is unclear how harmful bulbs are, and there is no established way to safely prepare them for eating by people. Depending on the amount, eating has been linked to claims of illness. Tulip bulbs were consumed during the 1944–1945 Dutch famine out of desperation, and Dutch doctors gave recipes.
Animals
Tulips are harmful to domestic animals, including horses, cats, and dogs, just like other lily family plants are. Small doses of tulips can cause nausea, depression, diarrhoea, hypersalivation, and mouth and throat irritation in cats. Larger amounts can result in abdominal pain, tremors, tachycardia, convulsions, tachypnea, difficulties breathing, cardiac arrhythmia, and coma. The tulip plant is toxic to cats in all of its parts, but the bulb is particularly harmful. If a cat eats a tulip, it needs to be taken to a vet right away.
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