Tulip Divisions - Garden Tulips and Their Identities

Tulips are classified into 15 tulip groups or tulip divisions.
There are an enormous number of large-flowered hybrids and these are classified into 11 of these divisions, according to flowering time, plant shape, flower size and form.
Species and species hybrids make up the four remaining groups.

Let's look at each group!

Division 1 - Single early tulips This tulip division flowers have rounded petals forming small deep cup-shaped single flowers, which sometimes open flat in full sun. They flower in mid spring. They grow to 25-60cm (10-24in) high Their stems are thick so they can handle the wind and rain. They are excellent used as bedding plants. Some varieties can be forced indoors.

Popular Single Early tulips are 'Apricot Beauty' (apricot-pink), 'Bestseller' (copper-orange), 'Generaal de Wet' (golden-orange), and 'Ruby Red' (scarlet).

Division 2 - Double early tulips These have large double flowers resembling peonies. They flower in mid spring and are long-lasting. They grow to 25-30cm (10-12in) high. They are good for mass bedding layouts or containers. They prefer a sheltered site.

Popular Double Early tulips are 'Electra' (cherry-red), 'Mr Van de Hoef' (golden-yellow), 'Oranje Nassau' (orange-red), 'Peach Blossom' (rose pink) and 'Schoonoord' (white).

Division 3 - Triumph tulips These are sometimes referred to as Mid Season tulips in bulb catalogs.
They have large, single, angular flowers. They flower in mid spring and are long-lasting. They grow to 40-60cm (16-24in) high. They can handle the wind and rain so can be used as bedding plants in exposed sites.

Popular varieties include 'Attila' (violet-purple), 'Bellona' (golden-yellow), 'Garden Party' (white and carmine-pink), 'Kees Nellis' (pink and yellow), 'White Dream' (white) and 'Orange Bouquet' (red-orange) which has several flowers on each stem.

Division 4- Darwin hybrids These have large, round brilliantly colored flowers. They flower in late spring. They grow to 55-70cm (22-28in) high on strong stems. Their colorful flowers make them ideal for the main focal point of a display.

Popular hybrids include 'Apeldoorn' (rich red), 'Big Chief' (pink with white), 'Elizabeth Arden' (salmon pink), 'Olympic Flame' (yellow and red) and 'Red Matador' (scarlet).

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Division 5- Single late tulips These are sometimes referred to as May flowering tulips. They have squared-off, oval or egg shaped flowers. They flower in late spring. They grow to 65-80cm (26-32in) high. These are usually used in bedding or border layouts.

Popular varieties include 'Avignon' (red), 'Golden Harvest' (lemon yellow), 'Queen of Bartigons' (salmon-pink), 'Queen of Night' (maroon black) and 'Sorbet' (white and red).

Division 6- Lily-flowered tulips These have long single flowers with pointed petals, often curving out at the tips. They flower in late spring. They grow to 50-65cm (20-26in) high.

They prefer a sunny site.
Popular varieties include 'Aladdin' (crimson and yellow), 'China Pink' (soft pink), 'Maytime' ((mauve lilac with white edges), 'Red Shine' (deep red), 'West Point' (yellow) and 'White Triumphator' (white).

Division 7- Fringed tulips
These have flowers similar to those of the Single late group but with fringed petals. They flower in late spring. They grow to 55-80cm (22-32in) high.

Popular varieties include 'Arma' (cardinal-red), 'Burgundy Lace' (wine-red) and 'Fringed Beauty' (red and yellow).

Division 8 - Viridiflora They are also known as Green tulips. These are similar to the Single late tulips but the petals are partly green. The flowers appear in late spring. They grow to 23-60cm (9-24in) high.

Popular varieties include 'Artist' (apricot-pink and green), 'Golden Artist' (orange-yellow and green), 'Groenland' (green-edged rose) and 'Spring Green' (lemon-yellow and green).

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Division 9 - Rembrandt tulips These have large single flowers with petals streaked or blotched with a second color which is caused by a harmless virus. The flowers appear in late spring. They grow to 45-75cm (18-30in) high.

Among the varieties available are 'lnsulinde' (violet and yellow), 'Lotty van Beuningen' (lilac, purple and white) and 'Jack Laan' (purple, yellow and white).

Division 10 - Parrot tulips These have large, often bi-colored, flowers with frilled and/or twisted petals. They flower in mid and late spring. They grow to 50-65cm (20-26in) high. Their stems are often too weak to support the large unsheltered flowers and so staking is sometimes necessary.

They prefer a sheltered position
Popular varieties include 'Black Parrot' (purple-black), 'Fantasy' (pink), 'Flaming Parrot' (yellow flamed red) and 'White Parrot' (white).

Division 11 - Double late tulips These are sometimes called Peony-flowered tulips, They have large showy flowers, resembling peonies. They flower in late spring. The plants grow to 40-60cm) (16-24in) high. They prefer a sheltered position.

Popular hybrids include 'Angelique' (pale pink), 'Gold Medal' (golden-yellow) and 'Mount Tacoma' (white).

Division 12 - Kaufmanniana hybrids These are also known as Waterlily tulips. They have long, often bi colored, flowers. They flower in early spring. They grow to 10-25cm (4-10in) high, These tulips are ideal for rock gardens, containers, or along the edges of orders.

Popular hybrids include 'Heart's Delight' (carmine-red, white and yellow), 'Johann Strauss' (red and white) and 'The First' (white tinted carmine-red).

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Division 13- Fosteriana hybrids These have large, long flowers. They flower in mid spring. They grow to 20-40cm (8-16in) high. Their brilliant eye-catching colors make them good for focal planting.

Popular hybrids include 'Cantata' (deep scarlet), 'Orange Emperor' (pure orange), 'Rockery Beauty' (orange-red) and 'Purissima' (white-yellow).

Division 14- Greigii hybrids These have lovely colorful flowers with maroon or purple-brown veined or spotted foliage. They flower in early to mid spring. They grow to 23-50cm (9-20in) high. As most are short, they look best in rockeries and containers.

Popular hybrids include 'Cape Cod' (bronze-yellow and apricot), 'Dreamboat' (amber yellow), 'Plaisir' (creamy white with red stripes), 'Red Riding Hood' (carmine red) and 'Toronto' (salmon-orange).

Division 15- Species tulips The flowers of this final tulip division tend to be smaller and more delicate in form than the garden tulips. They are ranging from 7.5-45cm (3-18in) in height. Those listed below are the most readily available species, though others are sometimes sold by specialist bulb growers.

Tulipa clusiana (known as the lady tulip) The clusiana 'cynthia' has red pointed petals flushed yellow with grey-green leaves that are upright and very narrow. They flower in mid spring. The plants grow to 23-30cm (9-12in) high.

Tulipa praestans The praestans 'Bloemenlust' has long red flowers with blunt petals.
Each stem has between two and five flowers accompanied by broad grey-green leaves. They flower in early and mid spring. The plants grow to 30-45cm (12-18in) high.

Tulipa tarda The tarda has white narrow petaled flowers with a yellow eye, with up to five flowers on each stem. The narrow mid-green leaves form a rosette at flowering time. They flower in early spring. They grow to 10cm (4in) high.

Have Dutch Bulb Exporters Gained Financial Control of American Horticulture

Have Dutch Bulb Exporters Gained Financial Control of American Horticulture

Many inquiries have been initiated into the reasons why Foster-Gallagher, the largest direct-to-consumer marketer of horticultural products in North America, filed for Bankruptcy on July 2, 2001, after ceasing all normal business operations on June 29, 2001. Somewhere between 3000 and 4000 employees lost their jobs and retirement benefits, stock-owned equity and $100,000,000 in debt liabilities. The network of companies, owned and operating under the umbrella of Foster-Gallagher, were known by active American bulb buyers for many generations. Stark Brother's Nursery (Stark Bros.) was known and carried the prestige of customer of fruit, nut, berry, plant, grapevine, and other shade tree and vine plants, as the most respected national provider of these products in the United States. National fruit orchard growers were loyal to Stark Brother's Nursery in buying special fruit trees and vines, to plant and grow with an unshakable confidence that a healthy stream of revenue income would be harvested to support American farm families. Superior agricultural fruit products would be made available at the commercial markets with healthy, brightly colored, aromatic berries, grapes, and fruits. How then, could an American nursery with a flawless reputation for excellent quality, service, and a survival record in an extremely competitive business, become the helpless victim of failure and the unforgettable disgrace of bankruptcy? This question might be expanded to involve other Foster-Gallagher owned bulb and seed companies.

Gurney's Seed and Nursery, and Henry Field's Nursery also sold thousands of orders of fruit, nut, and shade trees, etc, like Stark Brother's Nursery, but they likewise sold to a vast market of vegetable seed buyers a market, that in itself was enormously profitable. If these companies were removed from the American markets "Cui bono?" Who would benefit from this demise, and emerge to replace these giants of mail order success in past history? Would the new mail order replacement companies be owned and controlled by the Dutch office located in the Netherlands?

Google search results show that Foster-Gallagher shipped 17 million packages in the year 2000. The amount of income that was generated from consumers ordering and buying 17,000,000 packages is staggering, even for a liberal mind.

Perhaps, the most specific generator of income from the 21 mail order companies owned by Foster-Gallagher resulted from primarily flower bulb sales. The nationally famous bulb companies, Michigan Bulb Company, Springhill Nursery; Breck's Bulb Company; New Holland Bulb Company; and the mysterious facilities located in the Netherlands collapsed, when the parent company, Foster-Gallagher, filed for bankruptcy on July 2, 20001. A national chaotic frenzy followed, when it was pronounced that all those people who had placed orders from Foster-Gallagher owned companies, and all those other customers expecting replacement orders the following season would not have their orders filled. The credibility of disappointed customers placing mail order sales was shattered by these reports of "the cold shoulder" being offered to those who had sunk their savings accounts and planting confidence into Foster-Gallagher companies.

Google search results showed that on September 2, 2001, Foster-Gallagher executives reported that the business collapsed as a result from negative media coverage and caused a precipitous drop off in business income leading to the catastrophic National bankruptcy, leaving a $100,000,000 debt liability to be sorted out in the Federal Bankruptcy Court in the State of Delaware and angry mail order customers who absorbed the bad news that their orders and payments received were undeliverable and noncollectable!

Many questions remain unanswered that point to the present year 2006, after the disintegration of many previously, American-owned businesses, 5 years after Foster-Gallagher disappeared. Have those American owned business, now gone, that represented millions and millions of dollars in sales of Agricultural seed, trees, and Dutch grown bulbs, been replaced by Dutch owned companies that control the horticultural sales that funnel American dollars to offshore moguls based in the Netherlands?

Can an imaginary scenario be presented that might reveal how such a traumatic financial shift could insipidly develop and with impunity change the course of American Agriculture? The might and power of American Agriculture has been legendary in years past, and it is appropriate to consider whether or not American Agriculture dominance is teetering into a progressive state of limbo that might eventually endanger National security.

Consider a complex situational possibility that focused hawkish observers might call "Agricultural Terrorism." Amaryllis sales are an important bulb Dutch export to the United States as well as many other Dutch bulbs like tulips and daffodils. Could the Foster-Gallagher bankruptcy have developed as a result of the following discussion? The Dutch amaryllis growers produce their bulbs in the Netherlands greenhouses, and exported them to the United States during the fall. The several types of market niches for the Dutch bulb exporters are: florists, fund raisers, Dutch owned re-wholesalers, box-store bulb packagers, and American mail order companies. The Dutch commercial florist customers demand quality, true-to-name cultivars, and the florist grower rapidly plants the amaryllis flower bulbs, and he can confirm the integrity of the flower color in about 3-4 weeks, as soon as the amaryllis flowers are forced into bloom. Mail order American customers are very vulnerable to Dutch amaryllis errors, or to a possible deliberate unloading of diseased amaryllis bulbs or slow-selling surplus amaryllis cultivars. The victimized American mail order company may ship his so-called true-to-name amaryllis to thousands of customers; unknowing of the possible latent motives of the Dutch Bulb Company that may have indirectly victimized a trusting, unsuspecting, American customer. Several months may have elapsed before the American mail order company begins to hear his phones, ringing off the hook from unhappy mail order customers, who received the wrong color bulb, or who might have planted a diseased bulb, ultimately ending with death rot. To fulfill the mail order promise of refund or free replacement, the American company not only loses a customer and marketing credibility; but when he confronts the Dutch amaryllis bulb exporters and suppliers, he is told to look at the bottom of his purchase invoice that reveals there is no Dutch guarantee, so the American mail order bulb merchant gets stuck with insoluble negatives that eventually could lead to the closure of his business.

The lack of a credible Dutch guarantee on their products is obvious in the following excerpt at the bottom of a Dutch wholesale purchase order. The Dutch bulbs that were delivered to an American Customer who purchased approximately $20,000 worth of flower bulbs in 2005-2006 season...

"PLEASE NOTE: NO COMPLAINT ENTERTAINED UNLESS MADE WITHIN FIVE DAYS AFTER RECEIPT OF THE GOODS. We give no warranty, expressed or implied, as to description, quality, productiveness or any other matter of any seeds, bulbs or plants we send out nor will we be in any way responsible for the crop. QUALITY FLOWER BULB PRODUCTS"

Whether the American business closures resulted from the loss of his sales revenue, from a deluge of complaints filed angrily against the mail order company to United States governmental agencies. That accumulation of complaints could result in a revocation of a mail order business license, and that means the victims are two-fold; the American mail order amaryllis bulb company and the customer who did buy his product.

How then, could the Dutch amaryllis bulb company benefit,"Cui bono", or conspire to benefit from the deliberate malicious act of mischief? The answer to this question becomes clear when the revelation is made that the Dutch exporter also owns a business interest in an American mail order competitor selling Amaryllis to the American bulb customer, who finally ended up as one more more mysterious, unexplained business failure. The dissatisfied mail order complainers might be redirected next year to buy their amaryllis from the Dutch export retail operation that in combination with all the other Dutch owned wholesale and retail operations.

Not only can a mail order company be deliberately stocked with an inventory of untrue-to-name bulb, but the American bulb merchant may, by misfortune receive amaryllis bulbs bulbs infected with the Red Blotch disease, Stagonospora curtisii, that seriously erupts with bright red spots on the amaryllis leaves, the flower stems, the flower petals, and the dormant amaryllis bulbs, both outside or inside the bulb. The red spots are small at first, and increase in size to form large, dark red blotches on tainted, dying leaves, infected bent flower stems, that eventually began to collapse inwards to progressively fatally rot the amaryllis bulb into a pile of malignant brown jelly. It has been possible recently to prove by the investigations of agricultural authorities that the amaryllis rot originated from the exporting Dutch grower; if the red spots originated from the lower cells of the dormant bulb center. The infected red blotch in a number of amaryllis bulbs would point to evidence that the bulbs were intentionally marketed by the Dutch exporters as diseased bulbs with malice apparent.

Another very serious disease is the amaryllis mosaic virus that can spread fast to infect amaryllis flower bulbs with streaks or on the leaves of yellow, reducing normal growth and flowering. Clemson University says "nothing one can do to eliminate mosaic (virus) from an infected plant" and the amaryllis bulbs should be destroyed.

The question remains unanswered: Have the Dutch bulb exporters gained financial control of American agriculture? The Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company reported sales of 306 billion dollars in 2005 and was the second most profitable corporation in the world with its largest revenue coming from the United States.