'Paul Scherer' Tulip Bulbs, Single Late

Paul Scherer Tulips

Single late tulip Paul Scherer is a breeder's dream come true, and it's easy to see why. With its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit and sumptuous, blacker than Queen of Night, elegant egg-shaped blooms, this is a tulip whose middle name is 'go bold or go home'. It's tall and strong, too, making it fabulous for gathering in luscious armfuls for spring vases indoors. You can browse the rest of our tulip collection here.

Growing Single Late Tulips

Good, rich, well-drained soil is a must for tulips. The more compost or organic matter you incorporate into your borders before planting, the better, especially if you garden on clay or sandy soil. Grow in a sunny, or partly shaded spot for the best performance.

A border, pot or window box are all good homes for most tulips, avoiding particularly windy spots, although this is a tulip with notably strong stems.

November or even December is the best time to plant tulip bulbs, once the soil has chilled a little, which affords them some protection from soil-borne disease. Plant at least three times the depth of the bulb, remembering that the pointy end is uppermost.

Once they've flowered, deadhead, feed with a liquid fertiliser and remove the dried foliage. Then you can lift the bulbs and store them in a cool shed until the following autumn. We've compiled a more detailed page on growing tulips here.

Planting Companions for Paul Scherer Tulips in your Garden

The strong upright stems and neat oval flowers of this sultry velvet-petalled tulip combine well with blooms of blousier detail: think tulips such as the fabulously fringed plum Gorilla or ruffled mauve Blue Parrot. A late-flowering white daffodil makes a dramatic ebony and ivory confection in bold drifts in a border. Or combine with orange and pink late-flowering tulips Ballerina and Flyer for an eye-popping display with all the dazzle and delight of a royal treasure chest.

Features

• Colour: deep maroon with a lilac sheen
• Height: 50cm with strong stems
• Scent: none
• Flowering: May
• Planting months: October to November
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Did you know?

The near-mythical search for a black tulip began back in 1850 with the publication of Alexandre Dumas' novel La Tulipe Noire, a tale of dangerous obsession and the pursuit of a prize of great riches offered to the first to produce a properly black tulip. One reader inspired by the book was a young Geert Hageman in Northern Holland. The result, in 2000, was Paul Scherer, the blackest of all the tulips to date.

Paul Scherer Tulips are best grown in full sun or part shade, digging in plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost when planting in border. Or use a good multipurpose compost in pots. Plant November to December at least three times the depth of the bulb, with the pointed end upwards.