Sweet Flag Tulip Bulbs

Tulipa Sweet Flag

This is a delicious confection of a bloom, the silky petals of each flower ranging subtly from near-white to pale lilac through to slightly deeper lavender. Sweet Flag is an elegant, goblet-shaped tulip, with lovely grey-green foliage that sets off the pink petals to perfection. If you prefer your tulips bright and bold, have a look at some of the other tulips in our range.

Pick n mix your companions

In beds and borders, combine it with with similar tones – so tulips in deeper purples and whites work well as companions. With Sweet Flag, though, the cream and amethyst flowers of Tulip Atlantis are dreamy, while the more saturated pink of Purple Flag tones seamlessly. Or create a sea of pastels, planting drifts of Sweet Flag with cream and lemon Budlight, for example. For impact, try it with deep berry-coloured Black Parrot; its exotic ruffled petals provide a dramatic contrast to Sweet Flag's demure demeanour. But let's not forget wallflowers, the tulip's tried-and-tested companion (there's no suck-it-and-see with this delightful pairing) – White Dame, with its scented creamy-white blooms, will create a frothy, fragrant backdrop against which Sweet Flag will fly high. Its long stems make Sweet Flag the ideal contender for pots and borders, but also for cutting and bringing indoors.

Tulipa Sweet Flag Features

• Colour: blush pink to pale lilac
• Height: 45-50cm
• Scent: none
• Flowering: April
• Bulb size: 10-11 cm
• Foliage: grey-green
• Planting depth: 3 times the height of the bulb
• Planting months: October - November
• Type: Triumph

So will my Triumph tulips come out top?

Triumphs, or mid-season tulips, are a cross between Darwin and Single Early Tulips. They're strong and neat, so a wise choice if your garden's in a windy, or particularly rainy spot. Their satin flowers start off that classic tulip goblet, opening to a pleasing egg shape. They come into flower in mid-April, just as daffodils are fading, so they'll provide you with a continuous colour roll from daffs to tulips, then on to all those wonderful late-spring-flowering shrubs such as choisyas, ceanothus and lilacs. Sweet Flag, then: both a Triumph and a joy.