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looking for shirley tulips that are actually purple with a blue base

last month

Specific I know - garden.org has an entry for Shirley tulips which are mostly white with purple edges and a deep blue base. I've tried getting these three times now (twice from Dutch Grown and once from Terra Ceia), and all three times I've ended up with something different. All of them have been basically pink instead of purple, one of them didn't have a blue base at all, and all three had slightly different bloom forms.

So does anyone know a supplier for these tulips that actually matches the garden.org photos? Thanks in advance!

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Comments (2)

Jeb zone 5
last month
last modified: last month
All of the reputable bulb suppliers that I have used in the past don't have Tulip Shirley listed for sale next autumn. Van Engelen Bulbs even mentions something about "missing" Shirley Tulips.

Not every Dutch bulb is available every year. Low production, disease, or poor sales can take varieties off of sales lists. Last year I ordered many tulips and two varieties of the tulips that were confirmed on my order were cancelled right before they shipped - I got an email telling me that they would not be getting shipments of the varieties I had ordered from Holland. Ordering Dutch bulbs early in the season is not a guarantee that you will receive everything from my experience.

Some bulb companies that I would never buy from show that this variety - as of now - will be available for eventual sale this year but I wouldn't put it past them to make a substitute with a similar variety. I would check the Garden Watchdog before ordering from any bulb company.

Here are two tulip varieties that look similar, good luck finding correctly named Shirley tulips this year - whether or not they have a blue base inside the flower would be almost impossible to know until they came into flower in your own garden. You could ask the seller about that, they should know better than anyone.

https://www.vanengelen.com/flower-bulbs-index/tulips/peony-flowering/tulip-shirley-double.html

https://www.vanengelen.com/flower-bulbs-index/tulips/triumph/tulip-affaire.html
jemacaslan
Original Author
last month
last modified: last month
Disappointing that some companies would make a substitution with advising the consumer. Thanks for the detailed info, I appreciate it!
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