There are occasions when tulips receive exotic names in memory of famous personalities. In fact, it occurs with many plants such as the Julio Iglesias rose. But what about tulips? One of them is the Princess Irene Tulip.
It owes its name to Princess Irene since 1949. But what do you know about this variety of tulips? Is it monocolor, tricolor, or does it resemble a lily? This, and some other things, is what we want to talk about next. Go for it?
How is the Tulip Princess Irene
before anything, It is important that you know what type of tulip is the Princess Irene. It is a cultivar that can grow about 30-35 centimeters tall. Its lance-shaped leaves and stems are dark green but do not stand out as much as the large, bi-coloured flowers do. That is to say, they will not only be of one color but will have two predominant ones: orange and red. These are shaped like a cup and are mainly orange. However, red (or reddish-purple) streaks develop on petals. Sometimes they can have slight shades of orange, or even appear to be yellow, but their color is actually orange.
It has a price, won in 1993, the Award of Garden Merit, and awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society. That made it much better known and nowadays it is easy to find it in stores. Its price is not too expensive either (compared to other varieties) and it is usually combined with white tulips or flowers of another species also in white so that they stand out.
Princess Irene Tulip Care
Now that you know the Princess Irene tulip a little better, how about we talk to you about its care? As we told you before, it is not difficult to obtain it, both the flowers and bulbs of this variety. And you can plant them in the garden or in a pot and enjoy them. But to get them to flourish and be well, it is necessary to give them the care they need. And what are those? We discuss them below.
location and temperature
The first thing you will have to decide is where you are going to put it. and in this case The Princess Irene tulip needs sun, lots of sun, and direct. But beware. If it is starting to sprout and you put it in direct sun, and with very high temperatures, the plant may not resist it. Although they are very tough and shouldn’t have a problem, you should be a little on top of them at first to prevent their growth from not being the most appropriate.
Even so, the best place is in full sun, because it demands a large amount of direct light. The more you give, the better.
Now, as for the temperature, the heat tolerates it very well, as well as the cold. Although, in case of frost, and if you leave the bulbs planted, we recommend that you do protect them a little (with some mesh on the ground). The bulbs have to be planted between October and December, before the frosts arrive. And it must be done at a good depth (10-20 centimeters) so that they do not deteriorate. But if you also protect them in the way we tell you, you will have a better chance that they will succeed.
Of course, remember to separate one bulb from another between 15 and 20 centimeters to prevent them from competing with each other and in the end the plants die.
Substratum
This tulip is somewhat more demanding. And it is that it really likes a slightly compacted soil (the kind that you take with your hand and it falls apart entirely, even when it is watered). That’s why, our recommendation is that you use universal substrate with some earthworm humus (or some earth that can withstand moisture), and perlite or expanded clay.
In this way, it will be very loose and the roots of the bulb will have no problem expanding.
If you are going to plant it in the garden and the soil is usually very compact, the best thing you can do is make a slightly larger hole and fill it with the soil mixture that we have mentioned. This way you will make sure that it will have enough nourished space and with the land that the plant really likes.
Irrigation
The Princess Irene tulip is a plant that does not need excessive watering. It likes to have the soil moist, but not too much (and not too little), so you will have to find a happy medium.
Depending on how often the soil dries up, you should water more or less. But in general, irrigation occurs only in spring and summer, because during autumn it is not watered to prevent the bulb from rotting.
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The fertilization will depend on whether you have removed the bulbs from the pot or from the garden, or whether you have left them alone. If it is the first option, You should not fertilize because when you add new soil it should have the nutrients it needs.
But, if the soil has been around for a while, then it is advisable to fertilize it a little to give it more energy and nutrients, which are necessary for the plant to flourish.
Plagues and diseases
Tulips are hardy plants. But not invincible. So at some point in their development they could be affected by pests and diseases.
In the first case, the most common are aphids, snails and slugs. It is important to be aware of this to eliminate them as soon as possible. Of course, keep in mind that the plant is toxic, so it is recommended that, when handling it, it is done with gloves.
As for diseases, care must be taken with “tulip fire” (brotytis), and fusariosis. In both cases it can be saved if caught on time.
Multiplication
Finally, the propagation of the Princess Irene tulip is carried out through the division of the bulbs. This is done in autumn, cutting the bulbs in order to obtain new plants. Of course, make sure that, when cutting, you let it air out for a few days so that it heals. If you plant it directly, the only thing you are going to achieve is that the plant will end up dying because it can contract a greater number of diseases.
As you can see, the Princess Irene tulip will not give you too many problems when it comes to caring for it. But with this guide that we have left you, you will be able to provide everything you need and, above all, you will make it last much longer because you will have suckers that will replace the older bulbs and that can no longer grow plants again. Do you dare to have a place in your garden full of tulips?
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