Blog: Eyelash and Crown of Negrita are winners
After a few years without new bulbs, I bought some late-flowering tulips, daffodils, alliums and iris to perk up my raised beds from March to May. The bulbs were bought in a sale from Farmer Gracy and planted very late, in mid-January. The selection has proved to be excellent value for money, and the scent is superb.
The U-shaped raised bed is primarily a home for large-leaved subtropicals or my bigger succulents from June to October, depending on what my planting scheme is for that year. The bed backs onto a black wall to absorb heat. The only permanent resident in the main bit is a fig, Brown Turkey, which really benefits from the full sun and extra warmth in winter. I’d grown fed up of it being a bare patch of soil from November to the beginning of June. Bulbs are the ideal answer, with my selection flowering from March – I suspect the alliums will go into June. Then they’ll die back naturally, allowing me to use the area to display my potted plants.
In the side beds are catmint, Achillea Terracotta, a small windmill palm and several Agapanthus. One job I must do is remove a tree dahlia, which has never flowered, but grows to an alarming height each summer!
Late-flowering tulips – Eyelash
Tulip Eyelash is a new cultivar with large blooms and a classic tulip shape. The two-tone flowers are white with purple-pink fringe on the upper section of each petal – just like eyelashes. Flowering even later than Crown of Negrita, by May 13, most were still in bud and white, extending the season even further. It comes from the nursery of Jan Pennings, in Breezand, the Netherlands, famous for its tulips.
Eyelash flowers for several weeks in April and May, and later if you’re further north. They make excellent and long-lasting cut flowers, with sturdy 55cm stems. It is in the Tulip Division 7, the Fringed Group.
Crown of Negrita
If you’re after a deeper shade, Crown of Negrita is for you. Each rich purple petal is unusually curled, adding texture to beds, pots or as a cut flower. Flowering slightly earlier than Eyelash, it seems to have been blooming for ages, with the petals curling more with age, but losing none of their charm.
Of course, I expect all the bulbs to flower earlier next year, as they were planted very late. All are recommended for spreading as they age, unlike a lot of tulips, which diminish with age. Full marks go to the Rock Garden Mix daffodils, with a very strong perfume and Iris Spot On, a deep purple, and first to bloom. Explore more about tulips, spring bulbs and species tulips.
