Flowers · Bulbs
Olympic Flame tulip
Tulipa 'Olympic Flame'
A tall Darwin hybrid tulip with pale yellow cups brushed in red flame. It flowers in mid to late spring and then dies back cleanly.
Growing conditions
Soilchalk, loam, sand
Moisturewell-drained
pHneutral, alkaline
Position
SunFull sun
Aspecteast, south, west
Exposuresheltered
HardinessH6
Size
Time to maturityFlowers the first spring after planting
Max height0.4–0.5 m
Max spread0.1–0.2 m
In the garden
Plant bulbs 10–15 cm deep in autumn, in fertile soil that does not sit wet in winter. Shelter the stems from strong wind and let the leaves yellow before you remove them.
Slugs, aphids and squirrels can damage bulbs and buds. Poor drainage invites bulb rot.
Colour and scent
A mark in a season means the plant is doing that for at least part of it.
| Season | Foliage | Flower | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Leaves | yellow flamed red | — |
| Summer | — | — | — |
| Autumn | — | — | — |
| Winter | Leaves | — | — |
- JanDormant
- FebFoliage
- MarFoliage
- Apryellow flamed red
- Mayyellow flamed red
- JunDormant
- JulDormant
- AugDormant
- SepDormant
- OctDormant
- NovDormant
- DecDormant
Jobs
These dates suit a mild southern garden. A northern or Scottish plan shifts spring and autumn jobs by a fortnight.
15 October
Plant bulbs
Set Olympic Flame bulbs 10–15 cm deep, point upwards, in a well-drained bed.
10 May
Deadhead
Snap off faded flowers so the bulb is not spent on seed, and keep the leaves.
20 June
Clear foliage
Remove leaves only once they yellow. Lift bulbs if the bed stays wet in summer.