Grow the tulips that sparked Tulipmania!
This heirloom group of tulips (not Columbine specifically, but a parent of it) was the most desirable during the Tulipomania hysteria in Holland in the 17th century and commanded prices that would be unimaginable today.
The tulip craze led to a huge speculative market in tulips, one in which ordinary men clamoured to participate because of the vast amounts of money being made. They sold their businesses, family houses, farm animals, home furnishings and dowries to buy bulbs that they had never seen.
Eventually, supply increased and the price of tulips plummeted. The “Tulip Crash” sent many people into bankruptcy. Others lost all of their savings. All because of the tulip. The Dutch government then introduced special trading restrictions in order to avoid further fits of uncontrollable plant lust on the part of its population.
'Columbine' was developed in England much later by a certain Sir A.D. Hall in 1929. This Rembrandt Tulip is white with bright purple, pink-red and lilac flames. One of the most popular Tulips at the beginning of the 20th century. Tulipa 'Columbine' is a true Broken tulip introduced in 1929 and preserved at the Hortus Bulborum. Richly coloured with feathers, flames or marbles of purple on lavender with white, every flower will be different. Their patterning will be recognizable to those familiar with still life painting.
You should be able to maintain these Historic Tulips for many years to come in your garden but here are some important tips:
• Remove spent flowers after flowering to avoid energy being put into seed production.
• Fertilize after flowering with bulb food or slow release fertilizer sprinkled on the surface of the soil.
• Allow the foliage to remain as long as the leaves are green to achieve maximum time for photosynthesis and for restoring the energy in the bulb. Only once the leaves have turned yellow should they be removed.
• Allow bulbs to rest in the soil over summer undisturbed and with not too much soil moisture.
💐 DETAILS
• Position: full sun
• Fragrant: no
• Type: heirloom
• Height at maturity: 45-50 cm
• Flowering time: April-May
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Hardiness: fully hardy
• Bulb size: 11/12
✔️ Suited for:
• Cut flowers and bouquets
• Pots, large containers
• Borders, cottage gardens
• Low maintenance gardens
🔗 See all of our fall-planting bulbs here.