Hockey fans may love this classic Bizarre because of its name (Go Red Wings!), but gardeners love it because it’s so gorgeously flamed with rich mahogany-red on gold. It often wins Premier Flame at shows of the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society, and the last time we offered it we sold out in a day! Broken, late-blooming, 16-20”, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Last offered in 2008. We hope to offer it again soon. For an alert, sign up for our email newsletter.

The mad “Count of Baden” is one of the most celebrated tulips in all of history. Wildly ruffled and fringed and spiked with tiny spurs and horns, its swirling petals of gold, red, and green may remind you of molten lava cascading down a tropical mountainside. As always, we have very few bulbs, so don’t delay! (For other exceptionally rare parrots, see ‘Amiral’, ‘Cafe Brun’, and ‘Perfecta’.) Parrot, 16-18”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus. Last offered in 2011. We hope to offer it again soon. For an alert, sign up for our email newsletter.

Variegated plants are quite the rage today, but here’s one we’re pretty sure none of your neighbors are growing. Bontlof is Dutch for variegated, and the deep green leaves of ‘My Treasure’ are richly bontlof with a ribbon-like edging of yellow that harmonizes exquisitely with its glowing yellow flowers. And it’s fragrant! Who could ask for anything more? Single Early, 10-12”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus. Last offered in 2011. We hope to offer it again soon. For an alert, sign up for our email newsletter.

This “indispensable” old Irish tulip was lauded for its “exquisite scent, a delicate elusive perfume” by A.D. Hall in his 1928 masterpiece, The Book of the Tulip. One of a fabulous assortment of old, cottage-garden tulips collected by William Baylor Hartland of Cork in the late 1800s, it has also been known as Gesneriana lutea pallida and ‘Bird of Paradise’ — and there is something delightfully bird-like about its graceful shape. Single Late, 18-20”, zones 4b-7bS/8bWC, from the Hortus. Last offered in 2004. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

Majestically tall and elegant, this sturdy, long-lived beauty was first sold in 1931 for $5 a bulb – in Depression dollars! Its extra oomph comes from extra chromosomes; it’s considered the world’s first tetraploid tulip. Deep canary yellow, Single Late/Cottage, 30”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Last offered in 2008. Widely available elsewhere.

One of history’s most famous tulips, ‘Murillo’ was wildly popular during Victorian days, and even as late as 1912 The Garden reported that “ladies simply rave over it.” It’s also wildly prolific, having produced over 130 “sports” (mutations) including most of today’s Double Earlies. Think what it might produce for you! Double Early, 10-12”, z. 4-7, from the Hortus. Last offered individually in 2007 and in our 5 Double Treasures sampler in 2012. We may offer it again periodically or we could special order it for you.

A great staff favorite here at Old House Gardens, elegant ‘Papillon’ has unusually dark, garnet-red petals that seem even darker because of their broad, feathery edging of gold (or is that melted butter?). It’s named for the darkly romantic Madame Papillon, an 1860 ballet by Offenbach and Taglioni about a butterfly (papillon is French for butterfly) that perishes in flames. Single Late, 18-20”, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus. Last offered in 2008. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

Beautiful enough to be featured full-page in a 1995 Garden Design article about us, this ‘Princess’ is “rose-pink with topaz lights and hints of fuchsia shadowings” (Scheepers, 1931) or “soft warm pink shading to silver” (Kunst, 2002). Either way she’s lovely – and too close to extinction. Single Late/Darwin, zones 3-7, from Holland. Last offered in 2002. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock.

Sheer elegance and grace, that’s ‘Professor Schotel’. Its distinctively long, rounded petals are poised as gracefully as ballet dancers – or a pair of lips, breathless with anticipation. Its sophisticated, deep violet tones would have been perfect for a Gertrude Jekyll cottage garden. The Zandbergen Brothers catalog of 1930 called the professor “extremely handsome,” and as you can probably tell, we totally agree. Single Late, 20-22”, zones 5-7, from the Hortus. Last offered web-only in 2008. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

It may not heal the economy, but planting some ‘Prosperity’ in your garden this fall is bound to make you feel good. Early blooming and a “most delicate and lovely” rose-pink, it was the “finest of the new varieties” according to Pittsburgh’s Elliott Nursery in 1911. Be sure to plant a few where you can enjoy the intricate tracery of its rose-on-baby-pink coloring up close. Single Early, 10-12”, zones 4-7S/8WC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Last offered in 2011. We hope to offer it again soon. For an alert, sign up for our email newsletter.