Tulipa 'Abba' (2)

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tulip 'Abba'

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tulip 'Abba' Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Bulbs
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A double early tulip, up to 30cm high, with green leaves and glowing tomato-red double flowers with yellow centres, flushed dull cardinal-red, and sometimes irregularly feathered with yellow, in mid-spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or East–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Liliaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Potentially harmful
Harmful if eatenskin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eatenskin allergen - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus
Tulipa are bulbous perennials with characteristic flowers, in a wide range of colours, in spring
Name Status
Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Double Early Group tulips flower in mid-spring, with double, bowl-shaped flowers, sometimes flecked with a contrasting colour

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant 15-20cm deep from mid-autumn to late autumn in beds or containers, in fertile, preferably neutral or alkaline soil that is free-draining but also able to hold moisture when the bulbs are in full growth, in full sun and with shelter from strong winds; lift bulbs in summer after the leaves have died down, and ripen them in a well-ventilated greenhouse; for more advice, see tulip cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division of offsets, re-planting the larger bulbs and growing on the smaller bulbs in a nursery bed, or by bulb propagation

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Gravel garden
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Cut flowers

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, aphids and stem and bulb eelworm; squirrels may eat the bulbs

Diseases

May be susceptible to tulip fire and bulb rot in poorly drained soil