The Triumph Tulip Carre – A Flower Of Promise and Reality

By Linda Lee

Here was the plan.

I planted the Triumph Tulip Carre bulbs in November and they were supposed to bloom for Easter, which was late this year. I carefully planted them next to daffodils and the yellow tulips in the front hosta bed.

The Triumph Tulip Carre, which came out in 2016, was new to me, and I was excited. Look at it. It was going to raise that reddish purple head 18 to 20 inches off the ground, with those big ruffled petals. Then it was going to open further.

Finally like a ballerina showing off her skirts it was going to open wide to reveal silver inside, with blue and dark anthers.

What a show!

It was spring, and I was ready to pull up a chair and wait.

And wait I did. Then in rained.

And rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained.

My daffodils were up, but the Triumph tulips barely raised their heads above the ground.

When they did they looked like dwarfs. Forget 18 inches. More like 8 inches.

Yes, they were purple. Purple-ish.

And they didn’t show much sign of opening their little flower heads into those glorious ruffles. I finally picked some and brought them indoors. Maybe they needed a little warmth. and some prying fingers.

Er. Not as advertised. Where are those nice fluffy petal edges. Are they still going to appear? Did I get the wrong bulbs?

I’m still waiting.

Meanwhile, the daffodils are gone. The hostas in the flower bed are soon going to eclipse the tulips.

And the forecast for the weekend? Rain.