Tulipa 'Mother's Love' (14)

RHS Plant Profile
tulip 'Mother's Love'

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tulip 'Mother's Love' Dorling Kindersley Ltd
tulip 'Mother's Love' Dorling Kindersley Ltd
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Bulbs

'Mother's Love' is a bulbous perennial with broad, purple-mottled green leaves surrounding flowers held on short stems to 25cm high. Flowers are scarlet-red with a yellow margins

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0-0.1 metre

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0-0.1 metre
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
East–facing or South–facing or West–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
Columnar upright
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

Greigii Group tulips have large, single, bowl-shaped flowers in the range yellow to red, often with contrasting margins, and flower in early and mid-spring; the grey-green leaves are usually mottled with purple or maroon

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant 10 to 15cm deep in fertile, well-drained soil. Protect from excessive wet and shelter from strong winds. See tulip cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by lifting and separating offsets. See bulb propagation for further advice

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Rock garden
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Garden edging
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead after flowering

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