Physical characteristics

The tulip plant has two or three thick, bluish-green leaves at the base of the stem. In most types, each stalk grows a single, bell-shaped flower with six petals. (Three of the petals are actually modified leaves.) Double-flowered types have many more petals. In some varieties the petals are fringed. Lily-flowered tulips grow long, graceful curved petals with pointed tips.

The flowers occur in almost every color except pure blue. Solid-colored tulips are called self-colored, and streaked tulips are called broken. Tulips become broken as a result of a harmless infection that makes the top color disappear in certain places. The flower's underlying white or yellow color then shows through in irregular streaks.

How Tulips Grow

Tulips are normally grown from bulbs. The bulb is the tulip's resting stage during the winter, when the parts above ground die. The rootlike bulb grows underground and contains a stem base and bud. Fleshy scales around the bud feed the plant. In the early spring, the stem shoots up through the ground, and the tulip begins a new cycle. The bulb dies in late spring. However, one or more new ones develop from the original bulb as it dies. Commercial tulip growers dig up the bulbs and sell them to home gardeners.

The bulbs are usually planted in autumn, about 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) below the surface. Tulips grow well in any good, well-drained soil. The plants may flower annually for a few years. However, they tend to decline over time. A common commercial practice is to dig up the bulbs after the flowers have stopped blooming and the leaves have turned yellow. The bulbs are then stored in a cool, dry place until replanting time. Tulips are remarkably free from attack by garden pests.

History

Tulips are native to south-central Asia. The Turks began growing tulips as early as AD 1000. The flowers were taken to Europe in the 16th century and later to many different parts of the world. The Netherlands became the center of tulip growing in the 1600s. Modern tulip varieties were developed by combining different types in a process called crossbreeding (see genetics). The process takes many years. Today, gardeners can choose from about 100 species and thousands of varieties.