Plant tulip bulbs from October to mid-December, once the weather has cooled. Until then, store them somewhere cool, dry and safely away from mice and squirrels.
Bulb lasagnes are one thing, but how about a bulb trifle with this cream and custard-coloured Tulip 'Calgary Flames'. Plant en-masse in swathes through borders or use them to fill pots, paired with complementing colours like pale green or pastel pink. A notable characteristic of this tulip is its short stems (often shorter than 25cm) and large flowers, making Tulip 'Calgary Flames' useful for planting in smaller containers or in more exposed, windy areas. This versatile tulip also works well as an underplanting with taller tulips—it would look fantastic with Tulip 'Evergreen' or 'China Town'.
However you decide to plant this tulip, there’s no doubt that pale pastel shades like these are such a delight in spring. Tulip 'Calgary Flames' flowers during April, the white petals are each marked with a subtle banana-yellow flame from the base, which gives it a gentle, bright two-tone look. You can be sure of excellent garden performance from this lovely tulip, which has won itself an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Quantity
Plant profile
Plant calendar
Choose full sun or partial shade. Improve heavy soil with organic matter and horticultural grit. For containers, use peat-free multipurpose compost with good drainage.
Plant bulbs pointed side upwards, 15–20cm deep and around 10cm apart. You can leave a little more space between them in borders.
Water once after planting to settle the soil. Border-grown tulips rarely need further watering, but containers should be kept lightly moist and never waterlogged.
Remove faded flowers, then allow the foliage to yellow and die back naturally. This helps the bulbs store energy for the following year.
- Botanical name
- Tulip 'Calgary Flames'
- Tulip group
- Triumph (3)
- Flower colour
- Yellow, white
- Bulb size
- 12/+
- Established height
- 20-30cm
- Established spread
- 10-20cm
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
- Habit
- Upright
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Leaf colour
- Green
- Mouse resistant
- No
- Plant spacing
- 60 bulbs per m2
- Pollinator friendly
- No
- Position
- Sheltered
- Rabbit resistant
- No
- RHS Award (AGM)
- Yes
- Scented
- No
- Soil acidity
- Any
- Soil moisture
- Free draining
- Soil type
-
Loam
Sandy
Stony
Multipurpose compost
Loam-based compost - Suitable for
-
Pots
Large containers
Borders
Cottage gardens
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens - Sunlight
-
Full sun
Partial shade - Toxicity
-
Harmful if eaten
Skin/eyes irritant - Years to establish
- 1st year
Tulip 'Calgary Flames' reviews
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