Like a brilliant flag whipped into a frenzy by raging winds – or the claw of some freakish lobster from the Great Barrier Reef – or a Baroque filigree splashed with paint by the Color Kittens – that’s ‘Perfecta.’ One of Nature’s weirdest and most wonderful jewels, it’s been preserved by gardeners for over 250 years so you can enjoy it today. (For other extra-rare parrots, see ‘ Amiral de Constantinople’, ‘Cafe Brun’, and ‘Markgraaf van Baden’.) 18”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

“Dark polished mahogany,” is how Peter Henderson described this tall, late tulip in 1929, but it always reminds us of dark sweet cherries. Despite its dramatic looks, ‘Philippe’ had vanished from American gardens until we reintroduced it in 1998. The great ‘Black Parrot’ is its ruffled sport (mutation). Single Late/Darwin, 24”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare.

Shaded with a mist of tiny pink speckles that get deeper and more numerous every day, this extra-rare double tulip gradually transforms itself from near-white to rosy pink — almost as if it’s blushing in slow motion. A golden glow deep inside adds to its ethereal beauty. Double Early, 10-12”, zones 4-7S/8WC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

When the last Dutch farmer growing this classic tulip decided to quit it several years ago, we bought his entire stock to save it from oblivion. Now you can help! It’s a deep, radiant rose-pink over a broad base of ivory, and it all but buzzes with energy. Triumph, mid-season, 17-19”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare. Last offered web-only in 2012. Although we hope to offer this rarity again in 2013, availability can’t be confirmed until June. Please check back then or subscribe to our email newsletter.

This is the tulip that launched Old House Gardens way back in 1993. When the last US source dropped it, I knew I had to do something. It was just too wonderful to let go extinct. It’s one of history’s most fragrant tulips (violets? orange blossoms?), with a scent that will draw you across the garden on a sunny day. It’s also so vigorous that here it has been returning for well over a decade with no special care. Scarlet maturing to almost-orange, Single Early, 12”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare. Last offered web-only in 2012. Although we hope to offer this rarity again in 2013, availability can’t be confirmed until June. Please check back then or subscribe to our email newsletter.

Irene’s warm, strong fragrance and unusual coloring – melon-orange flamed with subtle bronze-purple – make it one of the most distinctive tulips of the 1900s. It’s a favorite at Holland’s glorious Keukenhof gardens and easy to force indoors where you can enjoy its heavenly scent up close. Triumph, 14”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare.

Tulips from the 1700s are exceedingly rare. To last that long, they have to be both wonderful and tough – like ‘Purple Crown’, a raggedy double tulip of dusky, purplish crimson that’s also called ‘The Moor’. We like to imagine a crystal vase of it sitting by Beethoven as he wrote one of his dark, somber movements. It was grown way back then, so that really could have happened! Last offered in 2005, Double Early, 10-12”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

This ethereal tulip is snowy white delicately blushed with pink and lilac-rose. No two are exactly alike, and the coloring spreads and intensifies as each tulip matures, like a pink and white sunrise, adding to the enchantment. But don’t be fooled by its gossamer looks – only the strong survive for as long as it has. Single Early, 10-12”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus. Chart to compare. Last offered web-only in 2012. Although we hope to offer this rarity again in 2013, availability can’t be confirmed until June. Please check back then or subscribe to our email newsletter.

Bontlof means variegated, luisante means bright or glittering, and 1850 was a long time ago – which shows in the graceful, old-fashioned profile of this charming tulip. What you can’t see here, unfortunately – since this is actually a photo of the regular, non-variegated form – is the cream-colored ribbon that outlines each rippling leaf. From the moment its distinctive foliage pushes through the cold, damp soil of early spring, ‘Rose Luisante’ is a pleasure! Single Early, 10-12”, zones 4-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

This extraordinary tulip is considered the oldest surviving English florists’ tulip, having “first bloomed about 1820” according to tulip-breeder John Slater in his 1843 Descriptive Catalogue of Tulips. With mahogany-red feathering on golden yellow, it’s the latest flowering Bizarre and, since it multiplies slowly, it’s very rarely offered today. Be prepared to give it extra-good care, and get it while you can! Aka ‘Charles X’, ‘Defiance’, ‘Duke of Lancaster’, ‘Le Conquerant’, ‘Page’s George IV’, ‘Platoff’, ‘Victory’, and ‘Waterloo’. 16-18”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.