Tulipa 'Mercure' (7)

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tulip 'Mercure'

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tulip 'Mercure' RHS
tulip 'Mercure' RHS
tulip 'Mercure' RHS
Bulbs
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A perennial bulb to around 50cm with broadly lance-shaped dark green foliage and dark red, single cup-shaped flowers with golden yellow fringed edges, appearing in April to May

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
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

Fringed Group tulips flower in late spring, with single, cup-shaped flowers with finely-fringed tepals

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant bulbs in late autumn, at a depth of 10-15cm (4-6in) in fertile, well-drained soil. Choose a sunny position, with protection from strong winds and excess winter wet. Lift bulbs annually, once the leaves have died down, and ripen in a cool greenhouse, keeping dry over the summer. See tulip cultivation for more details

Propagation

Propagate by division, separating offsets in summer when bulbs are lifted. Replant the largest bulbs in autumn, and grow on smaller ones in a nursery bed for a year. See bulb propagation for more details

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Deadhead after flowering and remove fallen petals

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