Day 117: tulip fire

Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year

Bold red flame markings on the petals of Tulip ‘Flaming Spring Green’, along with the deep purple of ‘Negrita Double’

Bold red flame markings on the petals of Tulip ‘Flaming Spring Green’, along with the deep purple of ‘Negrita Double’

I wouldn’t wish tulip fire on my worst gardening enemy. It’s a rotten fungal disease that distorts tulip leaves and stems, causing brown markings on all parts of the plant and often resulting in a grey mould. It’s treatment requires burning of all affected plants and abstinence from planting tulips in the same areas for three whole years. That’s desperate. The closest I want to get to fire in my tulips are the bold markings on the fabulous petals of the viridiflora variety, ‘Flaming Spring Green’ – sizzlingly splendid, without being too hot to handle.


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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.