'China Town' Tulip Bulbs, Viridiflora

Tulip Viridiflora China Town

China Town Tulips encapsulate the freshness of spring, with their pink and green flowers. The wavy flowers are highly unusual - each outer petal has a broad dull green flame on pale pink, while the inner petals are a slightly deeper pink with a narrower green flame. This gives a wonderful depth to a mass planting of these bulbs. They are set off perfectly by their greyish-green foliage and make a perfect statement piece, either for containers or in the border. As they only grow to 30cm tall, they are a good choice for the windy garden and especially containers. If you're looking for taller stems, why not have a look at the rest of our huge range of tulip bulbs for sale? As it has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure China Town will perform well in an average garden.

Perfect with other oriental gems...

The colours of China Town reflect and complement the colours of fruit trees, ornamental cherries and plum blossom in April and May so the varied pinks and greens in the flowers will look great near apples, apricots, cherries, plums, etc. However, if you are planting China Town under a tree, make sure they get enough sun to flower well.

This is also a terrific tulip for flower arrangers as it has such a long vase life - up to three weeks! Its flamboyant blooms make it suitable for simple arrangements, perhaps shown off with some of its own foliage and a bit of baby's breath (Gypsophilia). If you want a showier arrangement, try it with some lilac in a large vase.

Lime many Viridiflora tulips, China Town needs to be seen close up to really appreciate the intricacy of its flowers. This makes it perfect to plant alone, or perhaps with a single dark tulip such as Blackjack. Layer the bulbs in a large pot on top of each other (with compost between each layer) for the best effect.

Features of Tulip Viridiflora China Town

• Colour: Pale pink feathered with green
• Height: 30cm
• Scent: None
• Flowering: April to May
• Flowering Group: Viridiflora
• Planting Depth: 15 to 20cm
• Planting Months: September to November
• Foliage: Green-grey
• Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit

The Viridiflora group is the least-known of the tulip groups - flowers have green flashes, stripes or feathering on their petals.

Plant China Town bulbs from September to December 15-20cm deep and 10cm apart in fertile, well-drained soil. If there is tulip fire virus in your area delay planting until November/December. Add grit to heavy clay soil. Dig in plenty of well-rotted organic material before planting. If planting in containers, you can plant more closely, spacing the bulbs 1-2cm apart in a single layer, or 2-3cm apart if layering them for a showier impact.