Tulipa greigii Toronto

The greigii 'Toronto' botanical Tulip is a variety with coral-coloured, orange-pink flowers, with marbled purple foliage. It reaches a height of about 25 cm (10in). It is a several-flowered variety, with each bulb producing 3 to 5 flowers. Botanical tulips can remain in the ground and will flower for many years. Bulbs should be planted in autumn for an early April flowering.

The Tulip is a bulbous plant that has become essential in gardens, easy to cultivate and adaptable to all climates in Europe. It belongs to the Liliaceae family. There are about a hundred species and several thousand cultivars of tulips, allowing for a wide diversity of shapes and colours. The flowers, which appear between March and May depending on the varieties, open during the day and close in the evening. The leaves are lanceolate, usually medium green, sometimes variegated as is the case with the greigii 'Toronto' variety. Among the numerous species, botanical tulips are generally distinguished from domestic tulips (or garden tulips), the latter being derived from the Tulipa gesneriana.

Botanical tulips include wild tulips (except for domestic tulips that may have reverted to the wild) and the hybridisations that have resulted from them. These are small-sized species that can remain in the ground for several years and easily naturalise. They adapt to all environments, including poor soils and rockeries.

In the garden, tulips will be perfect for illuminating a flowerbed, combined with crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, pansies, muscari... They can also be planted in the middle of a short grass meadow, creating a beautiful colour effect in spring. Due to their small size, botanical tulips are also suitable for planting in pots or containers.