Wild Yellow Tulip Bulbs

• Variety: Wild Yellow Tulip
• Species: Tulipa sylvestris
• Colour: Bright yellow, fragrant
• Height: 20–30cm
• Flowering: April
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: Premium-size dry bulbs
• Plant: October to November
• Delivered: Autumn by courier. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Wild Yellow Tulip – A Fragrant Species Tulip for Naturalising

Tulipa sylvestris is a wild species tulip — slender, nodding, bright yellow, and fragrant. It looks nothing like the fat-headed hybrid tulips and that is precisely its charm. The flowers nod gracefully on thin stems, opening wide in sunshine to reveal a deeper golden interior, then closing demurely at dusk. At 20–30cm, it has the wildflower look of something that arrived by accident and decided to stay.

This is one of the few tulips that genuinely naturalises in the UK, spreading by underground stolons into drifts that return year after year without replanting. It has been growing wild in parts of southern England since at least the seventeenth century — nobody is quite sure whether it was introduced or native. Either way, it belongs here now.

Planting Partners

Perfect for naturalising in grass alongside wild daffodils and snake's head fritillaries. For a meadow effect, scatter with crocuses.

Why Ashridge?

Your bulbs are premium-size, Dutch-grown, and hand-graded before dispatch. Bigger bulbs store more energy, which means more flowers. We import directly and check every batch. Delivered in autumn, ready to plant. If anything arrives soft or damaged, call Somerset and we replace it. Which? Best Plant Supplier. Browse all our flower bulbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tulipa sylvestris naturalise?

One of the very few tulips that does. It spreads by underground stolons, gradually forming colonies. In well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, it can become a permanent feature. Completely different from hybrid tulips in this respect.

Is the wild yellow tulip fragrant?

Lightly — a delicate, sweet scent that you notice when you lean in. Unusual for a tulip of any kind.

Is this tulip actually wild in the UK?

It has been naturalised in parts of southern England for centuries. Whether it arrived with the Romans, the Normans, or later is debated. It grows wild in meadows and orchards across several English counties.