Tulip Red Riding Hood

Tulip Red Riding Hood have long been a staple tulip in our collection. As long as I remember Tulip Red Riding Hood have been a big feature in our warehouse. Over the 80s and 90s there were one of our biggest sellers. Often selling to market traders for stalls up and down the country. These days tastes in bulbs have changed and our gardens have changed too. It’s probably a long time since they have featured in magazines or on gardening shows but we still love them. Greigii tulips have the best foliage, and Red Riding Hood is a prime example. Arched leaves with a reptilian pattern of purple and green. The flower itself is a rich crimson with a darker central streak. They love the sun and spread themselves wide in the sun, radiating a pure red.

Only a short tulip that flowers in March, they are best suited to containers and the front of beds. They work well as accents amongst some of our ground covering bulbs such as puschkinia, anemones or muscari. Plant in autumn between September and December at around 10cm deep. They like a well draining soil.

It is often recommended to lift tulips in summer because they don’t flower very well the next year. Greigii tulip bulbs are a bit better than most. If you remove the flower head when it has finished and let the foliage die back. Lift the bulbs in summer and keep the bigger of the newly formed bulbs. They need to be at least 9cm in circumference to flower again. Store in a cool, dry position with air flow until ready for autumn planting.