Tulipa Virichic - Lily flowering Tulip

Tulipa Virichic is a very pretty variety of lily-flowered tulip, with a large and delicate, fresh and elegant flower. Its flowers are initially bright pink, streaked with green and white, then the white fades over time. Planted en masse, they offer a stunning sight when they carefully open their gracefully recurved pointed petals. 'Virichic' is an early variety, with a long flowering period. It thrives in the garden and can be cut for for charming bouquets. We should rediscover these beautiful lily-flowered tulips, which have unfortunately become rare in our gardens.

The lily-flowered tulip 'Virichic' belongs to the lily family. It belongs both to the viriflora group (variegated flowers with green, late flowering) and to division 6 of horticultural tulips, the 'fleur de lis', with the following main characteristics: they bear single flowers and bloom in the second half of spring, the cups are narrow, the pointed tepals are recurved at opening and open into an 8 cm (3in) wide star shape. During the day, these flowers become spider-like and widely open. They were created in the early 20th century. This variety will reach 50 cm (20in) high when in bloom, quite early, in April. Its flowers live several days before fading and the foliage is thinner than that of other tulips. Each solitary flower is supported by a stem which is fragile-looking, but resistant to bad weather.

The lily-flowered tulip 'Virichic' finds a place in large mass plantings. Its fresh colour allows for combinations with tulips in white, pink or red tones. This also maximizes the duration of flowering in mass plantings. Pair it with Corsican hellebores and euphorbias for surprising scenes. It can also be planted in borders, rockeries, flower beds, pots and containers. It goes well with tall perennials and is ideal for creating elegant bouquets. In a vase, use very little water and if your tulips open too quickly, you can add two to three ice cubes to the vase each day. Many varieties of lily-flowered tulips are grown for forcing and produce cut flowers for a large part of the year.