Lady Jane Tulip, Small Stature, Big Impact

Tulipa 'Lady Jane' is most definitely in the I Want More category!

I love this hybrid tulip even if it's not the species, Tulipa clusiana with which it is often confused. The species has a purple painted throat and the petal color is a darker red.  I want  that one, too. 

Both hybrid 'Lady Jane' and the Tulipa clusiana will return and increase each spring if planted in well drained soil that stays dry during the summers.  I was reading this morning that this bulb  needs dividing more often than botanical tulips...Just be sure and give the tiny offsets a dry winter spot with good drainage and ix-nay on removing those leaves before they have yellowed.

I have no complaints about the sweet face of hybrid 'Lady Jane' and appreciate her habit of blooming early enough to disappear before the wildflower show that follows.  The bulbs are small and you can tuck them between plants where they will make a fine vignette with the Tommies (Crocus tommasinianus), Grape Hyacinths and violas.  Lady Jane has enough white, pink, and yellow to  be a good companion for other smaller bulbs, but, pretty enough to stand alone in the garden. 

Thanks go to my good friend Frances of Fairegarden fame, it was at her urging that Lady Jane came to live in my garden.  They may be small of stature, but, they have a big impact.

xoxogail

 Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone." She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.