Tulipa saxatilis (originating from Crete)

Colleen Hubbard C.Hubbard@murdoch.edu.au
Mon, 16 Aug 2004 01:25:37 PDT
I have just joined the PBS forum and note that Jane has mentioned quite a few perfumed species tulips.  One of these (T. cretica) is of particular interest to me as I have T. saxatilis flowering at present (it is late winter in Western Australia).  Last year I discovered T. saxatilis flowering on my neighbours property where it receives no care or attention whatsoever. I was amazed by the exquisitely perfumed pink blooms and the fact that they were growing in such harsh conditions.  My neighbour tried to dig up some of them but found that they were buried very deep into the ground (to escape the heat!?). 

Hybrid tulips don't do very well in Western Australia's Mediterranean climate, so I am delighted to find this lovely species tulip that can survive all that our summer (temp. can reach 40 degrees C and higher) can throw at it.  

Depending on whether I can obtain any seed, I would like to try to grow some other hardy species tulips. Therefore, I would appreciate hearing about any tips members may have on doing this.

Colleen Hubbard
Bickley Valley (in the Darling Ranges)
Western Australia
(25 kms from Perth, our capital city)

-----Original Message-----
From: 	Jane McGary [mailto:janemcgary@earthlink.net] 
Sent:	Saturday, 14 August 2004 4:06 AM
To:	Pacific Bulb Society
Subject:	Re: [pbs] TOW favorite pink

Jim wrote,
>Incidentally, [Tulipa saxatilis] it is by no means the only fragrant 
>tulip. This year I grew
>Tulipa polychroma for the first time and was very impressed with the
>fragrance. I don't know if that one will persist in northern California,
>but another readily available species, Tulipa sylvestris, might, and it too
>is nicely fragrant.

Most varieties of Tulipa humilis have a lovely fragrance that carries well, 
and some are fairly pink, though more on the magenta end of it.

I never noticed fragrance in T. sylvestris, probably because it's usually 
cold here when it flowers in the garden. In winter I usually notice 
fragrance only in the bulb frame, and the only tulips I grow there are 
those I've grown from seed, because I find the purchased ones too likely to 
introduce diseases.

That reminds me of another pink tulip, which I posted on the wiki last 
spring: Tulipa cretica, shown growing in the bulb frame, raised from 
Archibalds' seed.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA


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