Tulip Varietals

Cheery, heady and forward in color, tulips are a favorite of spring. They bloom with a kind of candor — vivid, upright, and unbothered by subtlety. This visual declaration makes them focal in any arrangement.

I find tulips most beautiful as a mono-floral bouquet, arranged densely en masse. It becomes dynamic, even after it’s placed, as tulips drape and arc as they age. Francis Palmer, an American potter, makes my favorite vessels for tulip-forward arrangements. They are contemporary in finish but echo ancient forms.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Striking COLORWAYS

All available as Dutch-grown bulbs, these varietals occur in particularly striking colorways. A few favorites for autumn planting, prior to the season’s first frost:

Candia — Especially fragrant, in a saccharine colorway of lilac and sun yellow.

Cabana Parrot — Sumptuous pinks and peaches in a striking silhouette.

Creme Upstar — Powdery, with a reflexed petal.

Estella Rijnveld — A striking burst of cerise and white striping.

Golden Artist — A viridiflora variety, painterly in appearance, with soft green feathering.

Gudoshnik Double — A layered bloom in shades of vermillion.

Maytime — Goblet-shaped, tapering to a fine point.

Negrita Parrot — Feathery petals in a lush, deep plum with purplish veining.

Zurel — Ivory bloom with aubergine feathering from base.