Family: Liliaceae

Flowering period: mid-season

Average plant height: 30 – 50 cm

Spacing between bulbs: 7.5 cm

Type of bulb: bulb

Landscape uses: park beds, perennial beds, borders and as cut flowers

This group was developed in the Netherlands: Mr. D.W. Lefeber, the prominent Dutch breeder, was the one who watched over the early beginnings of this type. He crossed the famous Tulipa fosteriana ‘Madame Lefeber’ (also known as ‘Red Emperor’) with various cultivars from the group of tulips then known as the Darwin tulips. The result of this cross-breeding was a series of tulips that excelled due to their flower size and sturdy, long stems. When the buds are still immature, they look almost like little pyramids. Due to these qualities, these tulips have really made a name for themselves as cut flowers, and are cultivated extensively for this purpose. In gardens, too, they are very useful. A location somewhat out of the wind is preferable for these tulips, due to their height. At first, the only colours available were orange and red, but now there are yellow and pink varieties as well as varieties with differently coloured speckles and stripes on their petals (see cultivar list).

Most significant cultivars

• ‘Ad Rem’: deep orange
• ‘Apeldoorn’: brilliant vermilion red
• ‘Apeldoorn’s Elite’: red and orange-yellow
• ‘Beauty of Apeldoorn’: orange-yellow-red striped
• ‘Diplomat’: vermilion red
• ‘Exotic Bird’: red, yellow edge
• ‘Golden Apeldoorn’: lemon-yellow
• ‘Golden Oxford’: bright yellow
• ‘Golden Parade’: bright yellow, red-lined edges
• ‘Gordon Cooper’: bright magenta red
• ‘Gudoschnik’: bright yellow, red striped
• ‘Hans Mayer’: golden-yellow, red flamed
• ‘Ivory Floradale’: ivory-yellow, spotted with carmine red
• ‘London’: blood-red, scarlet hued
• ‘Ollioules’: red
• ‘Oxford’: vermilion red
• ‘Parade’: bright red
• ‘Pink Impression’: pink
• ‘Spring Song’: bright red
• ‘Striped Apeldoorn’: gold and yellow striped

As is the case with most other tulip classes, these are also offered as mixed colors.