Jessica Lily flowering tulip bulbs are a distinctive, beautiful type of tulip. They have a graceful reflexing pointed petal appearance and have lovely elegant blooms, which have stronger, more wiry stems. Their history is that a species of tulip, the Retroflexa, was crossed with a Darwin Hybrid tulip, creating this unique and distinctive type of flower, introduced around 1915. They are very popular for growing in a variety of places, but also can be used as cut flowers in floral arrangements and table decorations. If you are looking for some inspiration for where and how to plant them, think about grouping a few of them together in a border, or you could plant them in a rock garden to make a statement.
As with any variety of tulip, the lily flowering tulip signals that the spring is coming. The lily flowering tulip will flower from late April into May and on average, they stand at about 50cm tall. Some varieties are a little bigger and the Ballade for example will grow to about 55cm. There are many different kinds of lily flowering tulips, including the Ballerina, Budlight, Flashback, Purple Heart, Elegant Lady, Moonlight Girl and more. They also come in a wide variety of colours. Whatever you might be looking for, there will likely be a lily flowering tulip variety to meet your needs – pale yellow, white, pink, mixed pink and orange, strong purple, mauve and more.
There are 15 different types of tulips and lily flowering tulips are in division 6. They will need to be planted in the autumn time and they will require full sun and well draining soil. Pick the right spot for your lily flowering tulip bulbs if you want them to thrive in your garden. They may also need to be kept warmer in the winter. The stems can be quite delicate, so it is important to find somewhere that offers some protection and shelter from the wind. In general, plant the bulbs in groups of around 10 to 15. They should not be planted too close together otherwise they will crowd each other and will end up competing for nutrients, and none of the flowers will be healthy because they are blocking each others’ light. However planting them in groups is the best way to make a visual spectacle of them and they will look their very best this way.
When planting your lily flowering tulip bulbs, give them a good check over first to ensure they are healthy and not starting to rot at all. If they are, don’t plant these bulbs and buy some new ones – for a good start in life, tulip bulbs need to be healthy. You should plant them in the autumn time; dig a hole and plant the bulbs at a depth of around 20cm, with the pointed ends upwards. You might also want to plant your lily flowering tulips in pots. This can be a very good idea if your soil is not of the right quality to plant them in your borders, and they can do very well in containers.