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Unusual tulips
Hi, I've planted a number of tulip bulbs this year and some quite unusual ones have come up. Some, which are in a pot against a south facing wall, are over 85cms tall from the soil in the pot.(see photo)
In another pot I have one tulip with 8 petals, 8 stamen and a stigma with 4 lobes (see photo) plus another just opening which has 10 petals, I assume 10 stamens and an attempt at a 5 lobed stigma.
I've not seen tulips either this tall or with so many petals before. I'm wondering if they're quite rare.
Many thanks for any feedback. 
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Yes, those are tulips.
I think they are called waterlily tulips.
I think the heat from the wall has probably drawn them up.
Last edited: 18 April 2017 18:31:29
Rare tulips are rare. Not found in packets at the garden centre or the big bulb sellers. You have to go to specialist nurseries.Then you can have little gems.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks very much for all the replies. The blushing lady tulips certainly look like mine. They do look amazingly tall. I'm fascinated by the idea that the heat from the wall would have drawn them up. Re the others - is it quite common, then, for tulips that usually have 6 petals (ie all the others of that kind that I have do) to mutate to 8 and 10 petals? It's not something I've seen before.
Have a look at peony flowered tulips. They're double so loads of petals.
Thanks pansyface. They speak of 8 petals but not 10. I imagine that is rarer.
Thanks for the reply Obelixx, yes some tulips have lots of beautiful petals, it's just that these particular ones were 'supposed' to have 6!