Late Tulips in All Their Glory: Our Favourite Varieties This Spring

Celebrating the tulips from this season, including rich and luxurious reds

Earlier this week, we gathered some of our favourite late-flowering tulips from the flower field and created a series of abundant arrangements in the barn. These designs celebrate the natural elegance of each variety—tulips at their most expressive, in all their velvety, ruffled, and sculptural glory. If you’re growing your own, or simply enjoy seeing what’s flourishing in the field at this time of year, we thought we’d share a few of the varieties we’ve loved most this spring.

Lily Flowered Merlot

Menton A classic for a reason. With its soft salmon-pink petals and tall, elegant stems, Menton brings a gentle blush to later spring arrangements. It pairs beautifully with deeper shades and always seems to catch the light just right.

Slawa Rich burgundy petals edged with warm coppery orange make Slawa an unexpected and theatrical addition. It’s striking in a bunch on its own, but we love slipping it into more opulent arrangements for a hit of drama.

Jimmy We weren’t sure what to expect from Jimmy, but it’s quickly become a favourite. Opening a rich orange and fading to pink petals edged in orange —each stem is slightly different, and they add a painterly feel to any vase.

Merlot (Lily Flowered) Elegant and sculptural, Merlot is one of the best for movement. Its pointed petals and wine-red colour give it a refined feel that balances some of the bolder varieties. Perfect in looser, more garden-style arrangements.

Rococco is flamboyant in the best way. With its parroted edges and crimson tones that open to reveal flashes of green and gold, it’s full of character. We grow it partly for the stems that end up in bouquets, and partly for ourselves—it’s that joyful.

Averyon A warm coral-pink with just a hint of orange, Averyon has a real richness to it. It’s particularly beautiful as it starts to open—each petal curling back just enough to show off the layered centre.

Ridgedale Deep and velvety, Ridgedale sits somewhere between plum and cherry, and brings a softness to the palette. We’ve loved mixing it with paler pinks and even soft apricot shades like Menton to give a romantic feel to late spring work.

Uncle Tom An old variety but still one of the best for drama. Deep burgundy, almost black in places, Uncle Tom brings contrast and grounding to more vibrant mixes. It’s one we’ll always grow, even just a few rows.

It’s hard to choose favourites when the field is bursting with colour, but these are the ones we find ourselves reaching for again and again. Whether used in large urns or a few stems in a glass bottle, they remind us of what makes tulips so endlessly inspiring—ephemeral, expressive, and full of spring energy.

We’ve already made a few notes for next year’s planting, and no doubt a few of these will be making a return.