'Aladdin' Tulip Bulbs, Lily-Flowered

Tulipa Aladdin

What a firecracker of a tulip! It is as if someone had literally let the genie out of the bottle. Bright, crimson red petals are super-pointed and recurved with a vivid yellow edge to look like tongues of flames leaping from Aladdin's lamp. In fact these flame like flowers inspired Sufi poets to consider lily shaped tulips as manifestations of Allah's spirit in the world and were revered as such. Planting them in a garden was a sacred act. With a yellow base to the flower and leaves that mimic the form of the petal Aladdin is a striking and very tempting tulip. Browse all of our tulip bulbs.

Aladdin's cave

This tulip should definitely not be hidden in a cave but placed centre stage in some very prominent part of your garden to earn the gasps of admiration it richly deserves. With a tulip as forceful in personality as this, there is no point in trying to tone it down. Either assemble a mass of them in an urn so that it looks like a burning brazier or surround Aladdin with other flaming tulips, Burning Heart, Apeldoorn, Burgundy Lace, to create a bonfire of colour next spring. With its brilliant colouring Aladdin is a stand-out winner in a bedding scheme surrounded by low growing hedges or even in a gravel garden where its blooms will look like flares.

Features of Tulipa Aladdin

• Height: 50 cm
• Colour: magnificent red and yellow
• Flowering time: April/May
• Group: Lily flowered
• Foliage: mid-green

Did you know?

The image of Lily Tulips was often used in Turkestani art by the 11th century when the Seljuks, a Sunni tribe, were in power in what is now Turkey. Their representation as divine fire was immortalised in the sacred poetry of Rumi in 1200. As a consequence of this cultural history tulips came to be associated with the luxury of wealth, peace, elegance, political and godly power during the Ottoman Empire.

Aladdin Tulips were introduced onto the market in 1942.

Tulips are generally best grown in borders and containers. They like richer soils with good drainage.

Give them a bit of room when planting - we recommend leaving 6-8 cms between bulbs which equates to about 50 per sq. metre. The planting depth should be at least three times deeper than the bulb is tall and it is better to plant too deep than too shallow (see below). The pointy end is the top...

If you want to keep your tulips for the following year, plant them DEEP (20 cms is fine) and deadhead as soon as the flowers fade. Many varieties will stay in the ground and multiply happily, but if you are in doubt, it is a good idea to lift them when the foliage has withered. Dry them off in a dark, dry, cool place, remove any dried soil and store them (in the dark at a low room temperature) in a tray or net, having first removed any diseased or damaged bulbs. Replant the following October/November.

Applying a high potash fertiliser during the growing season improves the flowering performance the next year. Lift and divide clumps of tulips if flowering is poor.

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