Tulipa (lily and fringed) trial results 2024
Objectives and purpose of the trial
Tulips on display in Trial Garden at RHS Wisley in April 2024
A rainbow of tulip bulbs in bloom creating a carpet of colour
What is an RHS Award of Garden Merit?
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is intended to help gardeners choose plants that are likely to perform well, and is only awarded to plants that are:
- Excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions
- Available
- Good constitution
- Essentially stable in form and colour
- Reasonably resistant to pests and diseases
Judging criteria
The following factors were all taken into consideration as part of the judging of the trial:
- Overall appearance – proportions, sturdiness and foliage
- Flower impact – colour, size and shape
- Length of flowering period
- Weather and pest resistance
- Uniformity of height and colour
Tulipa AGM winners
Tulipa Purple Dream
- 0.5–1 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Tulipa Purple Dream
- 0.5–1 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
The trial was such a popular feature that the turf around the bed wore thin from the footfall. Children loved the fringed cultivars that looked prickly and dared to put their fingers into a flower that ‘looked carnivorous’.
Why the AGM was awarded
Forum gathering to assess the Tulipa trial at RHS Wisley
The tulip forum assessing the trial at RHS Wisley in May 2024
AGMs rescinded
Plants and location
What was planted?
The Garden team planted a total of 80 different cultivars of lily and fringed tulips. More specifically, there were 43 cultivars of lily-flowered tulips and 37 cultivars of fringed tulips. These were sourced from leading tulip suppliers in the UK who source their bulbs from growers and exporters in the Netherlands. Lily and fringed tulips have the following unique characteristics:
- Fringed tulips are a relatively new introduction. Their petals are edged with finely cut fringes that can range from a simple, flat, pinked border to thickly clustered fingers that interlock to give a dense show of colour, which may contrast with the main flower colour
- Lily-flowering tulips, sometimes known as fluted tulips, have long, narrow, single flowers with pointed petals that reflex to point outwards at the tip, giving them a shape like lily flowers
Where was it planted?
The bulbs were planted in two trial beds in the Trials Garden at RHS Wisley, Surrey. They were planted into individual shallow trenches 10cm deep x 50cm wide x 100cm long. Here are some considerations for planting out tulips:
- The best time to plant tulips is in November
- Pick a sunny, free-draining site in the garden
- Alternatively, plant them in containers in peat-free compost that drains well
- Remember to water them during the growing season
- Both lily-flowered and fringed tulips flower in late spring
Cultivation
Planting process
Each cultivar was spaced 60cm apart, with a total of 80 entries planted across two trial beds. After planting, the beds were covered with strulch to suppress weeds. To protect the area from badgers, a short solar-powered electric fence was installed around the exterior of the beds.
How plant health was managed
Weather
During the growing the season, RHS Wisley experienced some very cool (-5°C for a prolonged week in early December 2023), wet (higher than average rainfall) and overcast spring conditions.
With plenty of water, cool (but not frosty) nights and more overcast days, the trial lasted week after week with some entries flowering for almost five weeks. This was a delight to see and was great for visitors to be able to enjoy the wide range of lily-flowered and fringed tulips on display.
Challenges
Although tulip fire, a fungal disease of tulips caused by Botrytis tulipae, which produces brown spots and twisted, withered and distorted leaves, was locally reported and also present in tulips at RHS Wisley, the trial was unaffected.
How to grow tulips
Explore all the information you need to know to grow and care for tulips in your garden
Discoveries
April–May 2024
During the course of the trial, a fascinating colour change was captured by RHS Photographer Nicola Stocken and witnessed by the forum as Tulipa ‘Moonblush’ evolved from a vibrant yellow to a soft and creamy peach colour with a rich yellow centre. First and second photo taken 11 April, third and fourth photo taken 17 April, final photo taken 1 May 2024.
Who was involved?
Judges of the trial
The judges concluded their weekly assessments of the tulips in early May. In mid-May the judges independently voted for those tulips they believed deserving of an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
The 2024 Tulipa judges included: Teresa Clements (Chair, RHS Bulb Expert Group), Richard Wilford (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), Adam Taylor (Director, Taylors Bulbs), Pollyanna Wilkinson (Garden Designer), Camilla Bassett-Smith (Television Presenter and Writer), John Amand (Director, Jacques Amand International), Fergus Garrett (Great Dixter Head Gardener, Horticultural Educationalist) and Tilly Clark (RHS Horticulturist).
Suppliers to the trial
List of plants in the trial
Handy tools and information
- Full article - Filter for AGM plants and refine by colour, height and season of interest
Find an AGM plant online
Filter for AGM plants and refine by colour, height and season of interest - Full article - Explore advice and helpful tips from our resident experts
Gardening advice
Explore advice and helpful tips from our resident experts - Full article - Check how hardy plants are using the RHS hardiness ratings system
Hardiness ratings
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RHS Grow app
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Get in touch
For more information on our RHS Plant Trials or to access older trial reports, please get in touch with our team via email at [email protected].
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