Tulipa Goudstuk

Tulipa 'Goudstuk' is a variety of Water Lily Tulip selected from a botanical species, easy to grow, floriferous, and early flowering. It has intense golden-yellow star-shaped flowers, deeply flamed with red, in April. The narrow and elongated bud opens up in the sun, revealing a corolla that resembles a water lily. This hardy bulbous plant naturalises easily in the garden and faithfully blooms year after year. Planted en masse, these tulips create a lively carpet of colour in the early spring. They thrive in well-drained soil, moist in winter and spring but dry in summer, in full sun until May-June.

Native to the mountains of Central Asia, the Kaufmann Tulip spreads in large carpets on the dry and rocky meadows of its native Turkestan. This species is the origin of numerous hybrids and cultivars with vibrant colours, including the 'Goudstuk' variety. The bulb is round, covered with a brown skin, and measures about 3 cm (1in) in diameter. In spring, the plant forms a small tuft composed of 2 to 5 lanceolate, bluish-green leaves, ranging from 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10in) in length. The flowering stem 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in height bears a 6-petaled flower in April, measuring 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, which opens almost flat in the sun, and resembles a water lily. The corolla closes when the sun goes in. 'Goudstuk' has golden-yellow flowers, with petals widely splashed with bright red on the outside.

Kaufmann tulips are very hardy plants. They prefer cold and humid winters and dry summers. They are used in rockeries or at the base of deciduous trees and bushes with late foliage like deciduous spindle trees, or with light foliage like Caragana, Sambucus nigra, or Kolvitzia amabilis. 'Goudstuk', with its vibrant flowering, pairs well with Anemone blanda which appreciates dry soil in summer and flowers around the same time in April.  You can also plant it in pots on your terrace or balcony.