French Tulip Season is Now, Learn More!

“The fountain is my speech. The tulips are my speech. The grass and trees are my speech.”


                                                                                             -George T. Delacorte (1894-1991)

“Take these French Tulips Home, and tell me what you think.” Those were the instructions I was given last Friday, towards the end of the day. I lay the 4 10-stem bunches on my desk. Dang, these things are big. I checked out the variety labeled on each one; Maureen, Sauternes and two bundles of Dordogne. Now, my desk isn’t huge, but these bundles of our Redwood Grove French Tulips sure are.

I cruised home, with Friday and a cocktail on my mind, burst through the door, “Look Honey, I brought you flowers!” This used to illicit quite a response; however, once I took a job at Sun Valley, it has been warring thin. These French Tulips are a very special item, so I swept the clutter off the counter in preparation for getting these beauties in a vase. When you bring home a bunch of tulips, any type, you should always cut the ends, then leave them in the sleeve for about 4 hours while they sit in plenty of water. This ensures that when you take the sleeve off, they will stand up straight…otherwise you get droopy tulips.

Wow, these tulips are stout. Thick stems and rich foliage, this actually made it a bit of challenge to get them in the vase, I had to add a mason jar.


4 hours in water before removing from sleeves.

While these Frenchies spent their 4 hours in the sleeve, I had ample time to ponder the history and significance of the French Tulips. Generally all French Tulips (Except our awesome white Clearwater) are mutations of the Single Late variety named Mrs. John T. Scheepers. This is the big, bright, yellow tulip which many growers refer to as “The Mother of all Tulips.” It has been cultivated for centuries and this exact variety was officially introduced in 1930. It is named after Rose Dorothy Heywood, who was the wife of John Theodore Scheepers. Mr. Scheepers founded the firm of John Scheepers, Inc., which revolutionized the bulb industry in America. He is renowned for the creation of mass plantings for gardens and making the tulip the central spring motif. For this achievement in popularizing the Tulip, he became known as the "Tulip King". His horticultural introductions, which included prized tulips, lilies and dahlias, made him an outstanding figure in the field of horticulture. Mr. Scheepers passed way in 1938, and he left an amazing legacy which we still feel today.

These tulips were originally grown and picked in the south of France, in the Cote d’Azur region. This led to the name French Tulips, when they started being exported.

Frenchies just out of their sleeve. 

After 4 hours, I unsheathed the tulips and was able to get them all in my vase. The vase pictured here is 12 inches tall, so you can see the height of these tulips, and remember, they will grow an additional 3-5 inches while in the vase! This was about 9:30 p.m. on Friday, so I was anticipating how they would look Saturday morning, as they started to color up and adjust to their new life.

Saturday morning.

Saturday morning found our tulips, warming up in color and standing tall and straight.

Saturday evening.

By Saturday evening, they were looking even better.



Sunday Afternoon.

And Sunday afternoon, they really hit their stride, as several really started to open up and the stems were taking on a life of their own, adding girth to the arraignment as the stems each reached for the best lighting conditions.

The term “Single Late Tulip” comes from the fact that this variety blooms after all other varieties of tulip. The single late tulip class (class 5) incorporates Darwin Tulips, old Breeder Tulips, Cottage Tulips and Scheeper Hybrid Tulips. The borderline between these former classes, due to hybridization and mutation, is no longer as obvious as in the past. Blooms are large, shapely and available in an immense range of colors, perched on long, strong stems.

The challenge for the flower grower lies in the conditions needed for optimal results. French Tulips can’t be pushed, they are a very stubborn variety. Our standard tulips are a lot more accommodating in their growth patterns. In the green house, we can turn up the heat to bring them to harvest sooner, we can fool them with what season it is (for our Summer Tulips) and we can adjust light levels to dictate height.

French Tulips will not stand for this! Like our other tulips, we get them started in the rooting cooler, however after rooting; the Frenchies are on their own. They will not tolerate the big Dutch glass greenhouses, they prefer to be in a hoop house, much more exposed to Mother Nature’s whim than a normal tulip. Once in the hoop house we have very little control of the growing process. We hope for a good combination of sun and consistent temperatures, and let Mother Nature take her course.

Frenchies in the hoop house.

The wonderful thing about this process is that it leads to stunning tulips, bursting with personality. The stems are big and strong, the blooms are large and egg shaped. The foliage is a rich green color which sets off the bright flower.

Admittedly, I am spoiled with flowers, and I’m sure many of you are as well. Big crazy blooms of all different species are the norm here at Sun Valley, not the exception. What kept grabbing my attention with these tulips were their stems. How well engineered they are. On a single stalk they hold an enormous bud, and they are able to move to find the best lighting circumstances, even when they are no longer in the soil. The stems were so long, it seemed I could almost braid them together… so I gave it a try.

Braided French Tulips.

I think tulips are the most surprising flower, just when you think you have them figured out, they show another aspect of their personality. Perhaps this is why a person like Lane DeVries has been growing tulips his whole life, and why his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather before him all pursued the same occupation with an unparalleled devotion.

Right now is French Tulip Season at Sun Valley, lets see how well you braid tulips.