Historic? We’re not sure. Extraordinary? Yes! This true broken tulip was discovered at the Hortus Bulborum. It’s not clear whether it’s an heirloom whose label was lost or a newly-broken version of one of their other heirloom varieties, but it’s so stunning we couldn’t resist it. With deep, dark purple flames on creamy white petals, it’s a tulip that Tulipomaniacs of the 1630s would have given a fortune to own! Single Late, 16-20”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC. Chart to compare.

The best parrot tulip of the 20th century and dramatic enough to be showcased on the covers of both Martha Stewart Living and Horticulture, ‘Black Parrot’ is a dark, glossy maroon, exuberantly ruffled and frilled. Combine with ‘Greuze’ and snake’s-head fritillaries for a dusky springtime bouquet á la Martha, or pair it with ‘Orange Favorite’ for a display that’s dazzling! Zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare.

It’s not really blue but a soft, silvery lilac that combines amiably with just about everything. Even better, its tall, graceful blossoms last and last in bloom, longer than any other tulip we’ve ever grown. Darwin, Single Late, 24”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from one last farm in Holland. Chart to compare.

From the era of Marilyn Monroe’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Clairol asking “Is it true blondes have more fun?” comes this vanishing beauty whose name in Dutch means blonde. Unlike most parrot tulips which tend toward the flamboyant, it’s a cool, sophisticated flower of pale, creamy yellow, barely ruffled, and marked with a few subtle streaks of spring green and rose. Parrot (originally classified as a Triumph), 18-20”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare. We offered Blondine on a trial basis in 2012. Please let us know if you think we should add it to our ark of bulbs for 2013. If we do, we’ll announce it in our email newsletter.

The long, slender shape of this lovely broken tulip is what sets it apart from all of its sisters. A Cottage tulip of “brilliant cherry rose flushed and striped with scarlet, violet, and white, very distinct,” according to Peter Henderson in 1907, it was introduced by the legendary house of Krelage in 1900. Aka ‘Maid of Holland’, Single Late, 14-18”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

Once known as “the Christmas tulip” because it can be forced into bloom for the winter holidays, this brilliant little tulip blooms unusually early outdoors, too. Its glossy red petals are pointed, giving it a star-like form, and when they open wide in the sun to reveal their bright yellow and black center, the effect is truly “grand, rich, and dazzling” (de Jager catalog, 1949). Single Early, 10-12”, zones 3-7S/8WC, from Holland. Chart to compare. We offered Brilliant Star on a trial basis in 2012. Please let us know if you think we should add it to our ark of bulbs for 2013. If we do, we’ll announce it in our email newsletter.

Opening from dragon-mouthed buds that may remind you of the blood-thirsty plant in The Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Café Brun’s ruffled, jagged, over-caffeinated flowers are a deep gold intricately patterned with dusky-red. Though its name means “Brown Coffee” – that is, coffee with milk – it’s not really brown, just wild and cool. Be sure to look for its tiny horns and spurs. (For even older parrots, see ‘Amiral’, ‘Markgraaf van Baden’, and ‘Perfecta’.) Parrot, 12-14”, zones 4b-7aS/7bWC, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

Hallelujah! Once the world’s most popular tulip, gracing hundreds of catalog covers, this willowy, shell-pink beauty was lost to gardeners in 2007 when the last US grower finally gave it up. To save it, we sent 100 bulbs from his last harvest to our friends in Holland, and now there’s enough to share! Though bred from antique Flemish stock, ‘Clara’ was the prototypical 20th-century tulip – not feathered or flamed, not short and bright, but tall, late, pastel, and lovely. Our Fall 2001 Heirloom Bulb of the Year, Darwin/Single Late, 22”, zones 3-7S/8WC. 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.

A tulip for Mobile? Yes! And it’s hardy and multiplies in Boston and Denver, too! Though many sources offer this petite, charming wildflower, virtually all deliver cheap impostors such as hybrid ‘Lady Jane’ (oversized, and empty inside) or modern cream-to-yellow forms instead of the ancient rose and WHITE with its heart of deep, ravishing purple.

For Bill Finch of the Mobile Press-Register, our true clusiana has “come bursting out of the ground three springs in a row, each year better than the last.” It can do the same for you, in zones 6-8S/10WC, if you just give it well-drained soil that’s relatively dry in summer. It’s so all-around terrific and hard to get, we honored it as our Fall 2007 Bulb of the Year. 10-14”, from Holland. Chart to compare.

Now all but extinct, this sturdy little rose and white tulip was a popular American sweetheart for many, many years. New York City’s J.M. Thorburn offered it as early as 1872, and it continued to be widely catalogued well into the 1930s, a reflection of its charm and excellence. Thanks to the Hortus Bulborum for saving it! Single Early, 10”, zones 4-7S/8WC, from the Hortus. Chart to compare. Although we hope to offer this rarity again in 2013, availability may not be confirmed until June. Please check back then or subscribe to our email newsletter for an alert.