Tulip bulbs were instrumental in the creation of the Dutch flower industry and a huge part of our heritage. At Peter Nyssen, we are passionate about supplying only the best quality tulip bulbs to make any garden bloom with colour and beauty in spring.
Where to start
Tulips are categorised into 14 different groups. Each group has a different flowering time, shape or unique characteristic. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. If you want to extend your spring flowering display, choose an early flowering variety such as fosteriana or single early tulips, some mid season tulips like Viridiflora tulips and finish with some double late tulips. This way, you can ensure that you will have beautiful tulips all season long. If you're looking for a classic tulip with a large and elegant cup shape, our triumph tulip collection offers the widest range of mid-season tulips with single flowers.
Tulip varieties
At Peter Nyssen, we offer a wide variety of tulip bulbs to satisfy the needs of any gardening enthusiast. Here are some of our top picks:
- Tulipa 'Queen of Night': Renowned for its deep, velvety maroon blooms that add a touch of drama to any garden.
- Tulipa 'Spring Green': A viridiflora tulip known for its crisp white petals with fresh green striping.
- Tulipa 'Flaming Purissima': Striking white petals with flaming red edges make this variety a spectacle in any garden.
Why choose Dutch tulip bulbs
There are so many reasons to choose Dutch tulips, whether you're a professional gardener or just starting out. Some of the reasons include:
- The unique landscape and sandy soil allow perfect growing conditions for tulip bulbs. With centuries of innovation and investment, the techniques used by Dutch growers are unparalleled by using the land and waterways to naturally manage the bulb’s growing conditions.
- Millions of tulips are grown every year without the use of Neonicotinoids.
- Tulips are not only beautiful but also easy to grow. They come in a variety of colours and shapes, making them the perfect addition to any garden. From vibrant reds to soft pinks, there is a tulip for every taste and style.
- Not only are they visually appealing, but tulips also have a long blooming season.
Depending on the variety, they can bloom from early spring all the way through to early summer. This means you can enjoy their beauty for months on end.
How to plant tulip bulbs
To ensure optimal growth, it's improtant to plant tulip bulbs in the best possible contidion for them the thrive, these include:
- Tulip bulbs prefer fertile, well-drained soil
- Wet soggy soil can cause the bulbs to rot so lightening your soil with a little sand and gravel will do your bulbs the world of good.
- For sandy soils it is advisable to add some organic matter.
- Tulips prefer a neutral to alkaline soil and adding chicken pellets can improve the nutrient balance.
- Tulipa species bulbs like even more freely drained soils with the exception of tulipa sylvestris (the wild tulip) and tarda which require moist soil with some shade.
- Tulip bulbs should be planted from late October to December.
- Tulips need to be in cold ground for at least 10 weeks to flower at their best.
- Plant your bulbs around 15 cm deep and 5 to 15 cm apart (allow for around 75 to 100 bulbs per square meter).
- Once the shoots are around 15cm high use a fertiliser such as liquid seaweed every couple of weeks. Stop fertilising when the flower buds start to colour.
Why you should order your tulip bulbs from Peter Nyssen
- We are a friendly, family run business with more than 60 years experience
- Our bulbs are packaged in compostable, starch based bags where possible
- We offer bulk prices and free delivery for orders over £100
- We supply flower bulbs in quantities large and small, for all types of gardener from the cottage potterer through to the professional landscaper With a range of colours and varieties available, you'll be spoilt for choice.
If you can't decide on which of our stunning tulips you prefer, our tulip bulb collections are a great way to get a wide range of tulips for a great price. Browse our range of tulip bulbs today to watch your spring garden bloom. If you have any questions get in touch – we can give advice on great colour combinations, how many bulbs you need and even landscape or trade enquiries. To get the best results from your tulip bulbs, care must be taken to ensure that the bulbs are planted in the best conditions to thrive. For guidance on how to get the best from your tulips, take a look at our tulip planting guide.
FAQs
The Dutch tulip bulb market bubble, also known as tulipmania, was one of the most famous market bubbles and crashes of all time. It occurred in Holland during the early to mid-1600s, when speculation drove the value of tulip bulbs to extremes.
What are the most reliable tulip bulbs? ›
Top 10 perennial tulips
- Tulip Bleu Aimable.
- Tulip Negrita.
- Tulip Ballerina.
- Tulip Apeldoorn.
- Tulip Purissima (White Emperor)
- Tulip Sprengeri.
- Tulip Spring Green.
- Tulip Pretty Love.
While you do not need to dig and divide your tulips every year; they should be dug up at least 3-4 years if planted in the ground. If you are not digging them up yearly, make sure they are not in an area of the yard where they will be watered all summer. Too much water over the summer will rot/kill your bulbs.
When should I buy tulip bulbs? ›
In late summer and early autumn the selection of bulbs is at its best, but don't plant them yet; wait until the summer bedding has finished and plant for spring flowers in late autumn at the earliest. If you don't get round to it they can still be planted without any adverse effects as late as mid winter.
What is the rarest tulip bulb? ›
Without question, the most famous tulip in history is the red and white Semper Augustus—a “broken tulip" that supposedly sold for more than a house during Tulipmania. It may seem strange to declare a single flower above the rest.
What was the most expensive tulip bulb ever sold? ›
The most expensive Tulip Bulb ever sold was the Semper Augustus. Reliable historical sources show that a contract for a single bulb sold for 5,200 Guilders at the height of Tulip Mania, more than three times the typical yearly earnings of an Amsterdam merchant at the time.
How many years do tulip bulbs last? ›
Plant new tulip bulbs in the fall. While most modern tulip cultivars bloom well for three to five years, some tulip types (classes) bloom well over a longer period. Darwin hybrid tulips are generally the longest blooming hybrid tulip. Fosteriana tulips (also known as Emperor tulips) also bloom well for many years.
What is the rarest color of tulips? ›
They can be grown in practically any colour, from snowy white to purples so dark they are almost black. The only colour tulips aren't available in is blue. Blue is one of the rarest colours in flowers, and despite breeders' best efforts, 'blue' tulips are usually more purple or lilac.
What to look for when buying tulip bulbs? ›
Tulips should be labeled as top size, and they should be at least as big as a jumbo egg, smaller than that and they will need an extra year in the ground, a year when you get no bloom and have to allow the foliage to yellow and go dormant because that is how the bulb builds up enough strength to bloom.
How many tulip bulbs should I buy? ›
Fortunately, it's actually a simple calculation. For example: if you are planting tulips and you have 7 square feet of planting space, multiply that by 5 (# of tulip bulbs per square foot) and you will know that you will need to plant 35 tulip bulbs.
But there's a very good reason for holding tight and not buying your Spring bulbs - including tulips - during the winter, spring and summer months. Put simply, tulip bulbs bought outside of Autumn are unlikely to produce decent, if any, blooms.
How many tulips come from one bulb? ›
Usually just one. Some species may have more than one flower bud in the bulb, or over time multiple, or side bulbs may form, but usually with tulips, one flower per bulb. Why ? Probably genetically, the bulbs tend to just form a single stem, not like daffodils which often have side bulbs or offsets.
What caused the tulip bulb crash? ›
In February 1637, tulip traders could no longer find new buyers willing to pay increasingly inflated prices for their bulbs. As this realization set in, the demand for tulips collapsed, and prices plummeted—the speculative bubble burst.
Why did the tulip wars happen? ›
After it was discovered that the flower could be grown faster from a bulb, the bulbs became highly coveted. Speculation drove the value of tulip bulbs to extremes and in 1634, tulip mania swept through the country. After a few years the frenzy died down, and by February 1637, prices began to decline.
Why did tulips destroy the Dutch economy? ›
The crash came early in 1637, when doubts arose as to whether prices would continue to increase. Almost overnight the price structure for tulips collapsed, sweeping away fortunes and leaving behind financial ruin for many ordinary Dutch families.
What is the problem with tulips? ›
Fire or Botrytis blight, Botrytis tulipae. This is the most common problem of tulips. Leaves are flecked with small brown spots. As the spots enlarge or become more numerous, large brown patches can develop.
