Historic Tulips
Our Collection of
Polly Nicholson holds the National Collection of Historic Tulips, comprising over 75 cultivars dating back to the 16th century. Although we grow every kind of tulip at Bayntun Flowers, including many of the smaller, perennial species, historic tulips are our passion. The National Collection comprises a growing number of the most rarefied historics—English Florists’ Tulips—as well as the cultivars known as Dutch Breeder and Broken Tulips.
A limited number of flamed and feathered Dutch Rembrandt (Broken) tulips are offered for sale as cut flowers, along with the solid coloured tulips from which they were originally bred. These Breeder tulips are quite unlike any of the modern cultivars, coming in a myriad of hues that defy description. In keeping with the ethos of The Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society, the English Florists’ Tulips that we obtain from them in their yearly bulb exchange remain in private hands.
Keeping the historic tulip collection is a labour of love for Polly, who catalogues it each year and tends to all the bulbs by hand. Harvesting bulbs in July is akin to an archaeological dig, as each bulb is carefully excavated before being cleaned and stored until the winter months. Prior to planting, new bulblets are separated from mother bulbs and brought on in nursery beds. The cyclical nature of the tasks is a life-affirming part of the process that ensures that these endangered species survive for generations to come.
