Species Tulips succession planting and other queries...

Nollie

I planted some for the first time this year. This is humilis violacea black base, which was lovely, but up very early and over by the end of February:



1. Is there a similar one in the pink/lilac/white (but no yellow!) spectrum that would flower later so I can get a longer display?

2. Are the flower stems usually so short?

3.I have left the seed heads on in the hope they will naturalise, but does this weaken the original or would I be better deadheading and just planting more? There are no others to cross-fertilise with at the moment, but there might be in future vis Q1!

Thanks in advance.

Papi Jo

You could try Tulipa clusiana ‘Peppermint Stick'. In my garden it flowers mid-April.
http://www.rezeau.org/wp-garden/en/tulipa-clusiana-peppermint-stick-2/

edhelka

I have turkestanicas starting now and Little beauties expected in a week or two.

Papi Jo

I also have turkestanicas, just finished, but their heart is yellow, and @Nollie specified "no yellow. "

Fairygirl

Just shows the difference in climate/location. My new Black Base ones are just flowering in the last week, and that's only the ones in the pots. The ones in the ground are a few inches tall , but no sign of buds yet. 
I just looked at previous pix, and it's towards the end of March that mine flower in the ground. I have a couple of pink/rosy purple ones, but they're all at that time. Persian Beauty is one.

I wonder if it's just your soil and/or climate @Nollie, causing the shorter stems?
I think most of the pinky/purple types are a bit earlier. I've got some orange one ones which are later, but I don't suppose you'd like those either. 

Nollie

Thanks everyone, I think @Papi Jo ‘s recommendation of Peppermint Stick might fit the bill, colour-wise or the similar Lady Jane.

That could be the case, re shorter stems, @Fairygirl, February was very warm, even for here, where it is our real start of spring, although we have had a decent amount of rain and I have been keeping them watered. I am roughly a month ahead of UK flowering times.

I have orange Whittalli in another part of the garden, just starting to bud now on longer stems, but sufficiently far away that they hopefully won’t cross-fertilise with the pink ones. I also tried Tarda in pots, but no-show. Interestingly none of my spring bulbs in pots have done anything much, very disappointing. Again, it may have been too warm for them.

Fairygirl

I think I have Peppermint Stick too - or a very similar one. I can't find the original order details though. It's certainly a pink/white striped one. I'm not overly keen on it though.
I don't they cross though. I haven't found that anyway.

Could you just add 'normal' tulips though to give you more coverage? I'd expect they'll be much earlier than over here. I think they're about March into April further south. May for up here - generally speaking. 

Papi Jo

Just remembered a video of my small collection of Peppermint stick tulips on YouTube, dating back to last Spring. Actually, I'm a little disappointed that they don't seem to develop, unlike the turkestanicas. Maybe time will tell.

https://youtu.be/I5jUvmXD_DA

Nollie

Hmm, I did think about using anemones as the next thing in the succession - the rules of which generally follow the UK pattern, just sooner!

Normal tulips don’t do well here, @Fairygirl - practically every one I have tried gets blight, even though I have recorded temps down to -8, probably not cold enough for long enough to give them the cold period they need.

Good to know the little ‘uns don’t inter-breed, a cross between violacea black base and whittalii would be, er, interesting...

Fairygirl

Ah - I forgot about the temps for tulips @Nollie. 
That's a drag. 
Probably not sustained enough cold for them. Not something we have to worry about here, although it's the wet, cold ground that's the problem for tulip growing, rather than the problem you have.
There's bound to be something that'll work. Anemones would sound a good alternative.