A bit of history : What is an English or Florists' Tulip? : Where to see Old English Tulips and other cultivars in 2006 :
References : Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society

Having been fairly oblivious to the charm of tulips my interest was pricked by my first forays into books about 'old fashioned' flowers. In the 1980's a lot of plants were being 'rediscovered', the old became the new fashion. I joined the Cottage Garden Society and started to try to find and collect older varieties of pinks, auriculas, potentillas and roses. At the same time I fell in love with the striped Old English or Florist's Tulip, the flamed and feathered tulips of a type that are often seen in old Dutch paintings.

In the non Internet years of the late 80's I tracked down the semi-mythical Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society who are still the keepers of these gorgeous creatures. As a member I was lucky enough to be given some of the old striped tulip bulbs to grow for myself. There is something special about the way that the colour flushes into the petals. First you see the faint outlines of the feathering or flame in the green bud, then the colour starts to 'flush' gently through and the petals expand, finally opening up on sunny days into the 'half hollow ball' that is their trademark shape.

A bit of history ..............
The flamed tulips are said to have come to England via Holland and France and have been recorded in the UK since at least the 17th Century. During 'tulipomania' one bulb of the broken tulip Semper Augustus was sold in 1636 for 5,500 florins, one of the most expensive tulips ever. Zomerschoon, a broken cottage tulip is another old variety that is still sometimes available, I bought one bulb for the princely sum of £7.00 in the late 80's [it succumbed to wet ground and burrowing slugs!]. E.A. Bowles wrote in 1915 that he saw an illustration of this tulip dating to 1794, Sir Daniel Hall believed it went back further into the 17th century, he was right - below are links to Dutch illustrations from the 17th Century.

Sir Daniel Hall wrote in his book The Tulip in 1929 that most of the exhibition varieties of the 1830's were of Dutch or Flemish origin, but that started to change as the English florists* began to mould the tulip into the forms that we see today. For a relatively short period the florists and their societies were busy raising and showing tulips from the South of England through the Midlands particularly in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and further North still in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The nurturing of Old English tulips seems to have been one of those odd British obsessions, [Or maybe there were other enthusiasts in Europe and I am just being parochial?] Sir Daniel Hall suggests that the Dutch found that the older tulips were less vigorous and unable to stand the vagaries of weather as well as the newer Darwin tulips which became the tulip of choice at the end of the 19th Century. The Dutch may also have stopped growing them because any tulip can 'break' with the virus [so can lilies]. This meant that stocks of named tulip varieties would not be 'stable' and therefore saleable. Broken Darwins are commercially available as 'Rembrandts' but they look generally coarser and have a different shape to the Old English Tulip. Barr and Sons of Covent Garden were still able to supply selected Old English tulips as late as 1939, I don't know when the commercial availablity ceased, presumably around this time?

Sacheverall Sitwell wrote in 1939 that the 1850's saw the peak of the interest in Old English Tulips with a slow decline as Victorian gardening tastes changed. They have been kept going if a little fitfully over subsequent years but now seem to be increasing in popularity again.

E A Bowles wrote in 'My Garden in Spring' [1914]
" I believe the love for the English Tulip will some day revive and perhaps grow into a rage, and that the noble little band who keep up it's cultivation...are doing a great work for future gardeners".

In 1929 Sir Daniel Hall wrote
" ...the English Florist's Tulips have dropped out of favour, partly because they were neither so vigorous nor so substantial against wind and rain as the Darwins, partly because the Dutch growers never learned to appreciate how much the English tulips excelled the old varieties in shape and brilliancy of colour"
he also points out that the feathering and flaming is not necessarily stable in a bulb from year to year which also means that the bulbs you bought were a bit of a gamble.

By 1939 Sacheverall Sitwell was exhorting his readers to make some space for these tulips.

* Florists were not as we know them today but enthusiastic amateurs who bred and showed flowers, often associated with weavers and other artisans. Pinks, fuschias, tulips and auriculas were all intensively bred and shown in this way. See Ruth Duthie's 1988 book below for more on English Florists of the 19th Century.

What is an English or Florists' Tulip?
First things first, the flaming and feathering is caused by a virus transmitted by greenfly as they suck the sap - yes a virus! The flaming and feathering isn't stable and may change from year to year, although some cultivars are said to be more reliable than others. The tulip cups are shallower and more open than some of the familiar tulip types, a 'half hollow ball' shape rather than the pointed tighter or fuller shapes.

Old English Tulips are divided into Bizarres, Roses and Bybloemen, within those 'colouration categories' are the further sub categories of Breeders, Flamed and Feathered. All forms are shown, although Breeders were once seen as the 'poor relations' of their broken selves. It is extremely rare for a flower once it has broken to revert to its breeder status. I admit that it took me a while to get the hang of this!

The following photographs are courtesy of Mr James Akers and are from the book 'English Florists' Tulips Into the 21st Century' available from the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society [see below for details].

	Meet Mabel, bred by Martin [from Whalley in Lancashire] in around 1856. She is a Rose, and this is Mabel as a breeder and therefore unbroken. Some cultivars only exist as breeders and in some instances the breeders themselves are lost and only the broken tulips remain. Other famous Roses include Juliette raised by Sir Daniel Hall in the 1920's and Annie McGregor a sibling to Mabel also raised by Martin.
	This is Mabel as a feathered Rose, the pigmentation has become focussed around the edges of the petals, the white 'ground' that you can see at the stem end of the breeder tulip now clearly shows through.
	This is Mabel presented as a flamed Rose, the markings are much stronger and the 'flame' moves up the centre of the petals from the base, as well as the feathering appearing on the edges.
	Bizarres are my favourites, the base colour is yellow and the striping can be rich red to chestnut/brown. This is flamed bizarre, Sir Joseph Paxton, raised by Willison of Whitby in N.Yorks prior to 1850. Most bizarres seem to have men's names, perhaps the Roses [and Bybloemen] were considered more 'feminine' ? Dr Hardy, Sam Barlow and Lord Stanley were raised by Tom Storer a train driver from Derby in the 1860's; Goldfinder a breeder was raised by John Hepworth in Wakefield in the late 19th century and James Wild was bred in Manchester by Walker. All are still winning today.
	Bybloemen are mauve to dark purple/black on a white base and generally appear elegant and restrained. This is Wakefield, a recent cultivar bred by James Akers, showing here both feathered and flamed forms. One of the older cultivars still being grown and shown also falls in this category, Habit de Noce introduced from Holland around 1830 by Vincent der Vinne. Other bybloemen include Bessie [1860], Columbine raised by Sir Daniel Hall in the 1920's and Talisman raised by Dr Hardy in Warrington in 1860, [The same Dr Hardy who has a bizarre named after him].

If you want to bring a bit of tulip history into your garden [aside from the Old English Tulips] you can grow other older cultivars such as Kaizerskroon - scarlet with yellow edges and which has been with us since the 18th century. Zomerschoon as previously mentioned, is still in commerce [just] crimson on a cream base. General de Wet [Generaal de Wet] is a stippled orange broken form of Prince of Austria [1860]. Van der Neer raised in 1860 by Leembruggen is deep violet, in Bulbs [Phillips and Rix 1989] it is shown in a broken, flamed form. Couleur Cardinal [1845] is a rich rosy violet and Clara Butt is a pink raised in 1889 by Krelage.

The UK bulb supplier Jacques Amand has a good selection of tulips in the paper catalogue including broken tulips Insulinde and Zomerschoon [not OE's but lovely none the less]

This next site will make all lovers of old and gorgeous tulips [and daffodils and hyacinths] terribly acquisitive - sadly they only ship to US customers at the moment. I have come across this site in the past and found it a bit hypey [sorry Scott!] but have to say now the stock appears to have increased substantially - I am so terribly jealous! Do I also detect an heirloomey gardening thing going on in the US? Feast your eyes and enjoy
The Old House Gardens web site

Does it matter if Old English Tulips die out and the 'noble little band' finally ceases?
I think it does. Victor Roozen writing in the society magazine in 1991 [quoted from an article written in 1989] states that commercial cultivation on a small scale will ensure survival. He notes that commercial growing practices will add new vigour to the existing stock. To make this a reality enough people need to be interested and appreciate not only the historical legacy of these tulips but also grow them just for themselves as 'beautiful' flowers and whether grown in pots or in the garden, just enjoy them! Make a start and join the society [details below] or send off for some catalogues and plant some tulip history in the autumn.
[As an extra bonus, some tulips such as Generaal de Wet are sweetly scented, something I had not originally appreciated]

Pot cultivation
I grow tulips mainly in pots, some people are lucky enough to have open fertile soil that suits them well but I have found in squidgy ground that gets waterlogged they succumb to rotting and the attentions of burrowing slugs. Apart from the precious tulips in some soils it may be better to replant tulips in the garden every year if you want to maintain a good show.

Lift the OE bulbs after the foliage has died down in June/July, dry the bulbs off and clean away old foliage. The bulbs are then stored in paper bags in a dark, dry place and re-planted in new compost in large pots in late October. Traditionally the planting date should be the City of London Lord Mayor's Show day in early November, but it much depends on where you live. I like to use a peat-free 'barky' type compost which is free draining through the winter, [I don't use it for the summer pots as this type of compost seems to dry out too quickly and doesn't hold together enough]. It is recommended that bulbs are planted about 4 - 6 inches down. I feed the tulips with a booster of chicken manure pellets and a general all purpose liquid feed once a week when they come into growth. As I am not collecting seed I also snap off the seedheads as soon as the petals drop to conserve the energy and plump up the bulbs for next season.

Where to see Old English Tulips and other cultivars in 2008

Harrogate Spring Flower Show, 24 April - 27 April 2008

Midland Tulip Society, Foresters Tavern, Chasetown Nr Litchfield Staffs

Constable Burton Hall Tulip Festival 3 - 5 May 2008

York Florists Show [includes Auriculas], Bishopthorpe Village Hall Nr York

Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society - 173rd Annual Show, Normanton Community Centre, 10 May 2008 14:30 - 17:00

Pashley Manor, W.Sussex 25th April - 5th May 2008

National Trust: Dyrham Park near Bath, Tulipomania 18 - 22nd April 2008

Netherlands, Alkmaar: Hortus Bulborum [old cultivars]

Reference books

Bulbs, Phillips and Rix [1989]
English Florists' Tulips Into the 21st Century - see below for details
Florists Flowers and Societies, Ruth Duthie [1988]
My Garden in Spring, E A Bowles [1919]
Old Fashioned Flowers, Sachaverall Sitwell [1929]
The Tulip, Anna Pavord [2000]
The Tulip, Sir A Daniel Hall [1929] - goes into 'breaking' in more detail and some of the earlier experiments undertaken to find the cause as well as cultivation and growing from seed.

Illustrations of old cultivars from the Nederlandsch Economisch-Historisch Archief
- Zomerschoon
- Semper Augustus

The illustrated tulip catalogue of nurseryman P. Cos, Haarlem, published in 1637 which also includes an illustration of Zomerschoon and its price at the time. http://www.bib.wau.nl/tulips/

Herman Vivi sent me this link to a book which chronicles bulb production in 'the old days' in the Netherlands 'Dutch Bulbs and Gardens', Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall [1909]

Membership of the society is open to everyone. Single membership costs £5.00 per annum renewable at the time of the annual show in May.

I haven't yet made it to one of the shows in May where the tulips are displayed traditionally in old beer bottles. One day I will. But if you want to make the acquaintance of some of these gorgeous creatures that is the place to see them in their prime.

The society has published 'English Florists' Tulips Into the 21st Century'. This can be obtained by sending a cheque for £5.99 made payable to W&NOE Tulip Society to:-
Mr J L Akers, 70 Wrenthorpe Lane, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield, WF2 0PT [Mr Akers is also the contact for membership enquiries].

* The late Rory McEwen made a number of beautiful studies of these tulips. I was told that the Redfern Gallery used to host some of his exhibitions including one of huge tulips, that must have been a wonderful sight.

Updated February 2007/ April 2008

@Kari'sgarden 2002 - 2008