Choosing Tulip Varieties for Forcing
By the Hensley's flower trial team
Scheduling Tips and Succession Planting Strategies for Forced Tulips
Planning plantings for a full season of forced tulips can be tricky. There are two ways to stretch the season:
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Plant several varieties with different chilling needs in crates on the same day.
A variety that needs 14 weeks of cold comes out of the cooler sooner than one needing 15 or 16 weeks, so it blooms first. 'Margarita', 'Mondial' and 'Verona', for example, need 14, 15 and 16 weeks of chilling. Planted on the same day, 'Margarita' comes out of cold storage first, after 14 weeks, and blooms first, followed by 'Mondial' a week later and 'Verona' a week after that.
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Crate the same varieties every week for several weeks.
To have one variety in bloom all season, plant crates of it every week for several weeks. 'Verona', for instance, needs 16 weeks of cold; to harvest it four weeks in a row in spring, plant it once a week for four weeks in fall.
Managing Stem Quality in the Forcing Environment
- Good forcing varieties usually have strong stems and a compact habit. A variety that grows tall with thin stems in the field will probably do the same when forced, maybe even more so, because a sheltered greenhouse lacks the wind, rain and temperature swings that toughen plants outdoors.
- Short, compact varieties tend to be strong. That's why many shorter double varieties are good for forcing.
- Forcing early in the season: the greenhouse is cooler and light is lower early on, so plants develop more slowly and have more time to stretch before blooming. In our trials, short varieties made longer stems when forced earlier. If you grow short varieties, forcing them early rather than late may give you longer stems.
- Forcing later in the season: the later you go, the warmer the greenhouse and the brighter the light, so plants grow and flower faster.
If you force one variety at several times, expect stem length to vary: short varieties may be shorter still when forced late, because warmth speeds up flowering and leaves less time for stems to stretch. Very short varieties are more likely to reach a usable stem length when forced early, while cool temperatures slow flowering.
Variety Notes and Recommendations
Any tulip can be forced into early bloom, but some classes and varieties are better for forced cut flowers. You'll probably need to do your own testing to build a lineup that fits your conditions and markets.
| 2023 Forced Tulip Trial Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Class | Weeks of chilling needed | Trial notes | |
| Akebono | Darwin Hybrid | 16 | Very long, thin stems. Necks often snap and droop, more than in the field. | |
| Apeldoorn's Elite | Darwin Hybrid | 19 | Shorter and smaller than the Impression series; otherwise performed as described. | |
| Apricot Impression | Darwin Hybrid | 15 | Even, tall and vigorous. Big leaves slow down harvest and processing, but otherwise performed well. | |
| Pink Impression | Darwin Hybrid | 15 | Even, tall and vigorous. Big leaves slow down harvest and processing, but otherwise performed well. | |
| Red Impression | Darwin Hybrid | 15 | Even, tall and vigorous. Big leaves slow down harvest and processing, but otherwise performed well. | |
| World's Favorite | Darwin Hybrid | 16 | Great color and flower quality on thin stems, which are thinner than the Impression series but stronger than Akebono. | |
| Charming Beauty | Double | 18 | Excellent stems and flowers. Stems are shorter in later forcings. | |
| Gudoshnik Double | Double | 15 | Tall stems and healthy plants with fully double flowers, but weak necks can't hold up the big blooms. Did better in the field. | |
| Marie Jo | Double | 15 | Short but even stems with good flower quality. | |
| Margarita | Double Early | 14 | Great color, flowers and stems. | |
| Verona | Double Early | 16 | Useful color for late winter and early spring. Good stems and flowers. Excellent overall, though stems run a bit short, especially in later plantings. | |
| Crème Upstar | Double Late | 17 | Lovely color and strong stems. Bloomed faster on shorter stems in later plantings; tallest stems in early plantings. | |
| Dream Touch | Double Late | 17 | Straight stems clean up easily. Excellent overall. Best in early plantings; later ones bloom faster on shorter stems. | |
| Drumline | Double Late | 18 | Tall, clean stems, little foliage and even bloom timing. Excellent quality overall. | |
| Finola | Double Late | 17 | A strong variety overall: good height, sturdy stems, good flowers and even development. Stems slightly shorter in later plantings. | |
| Miranda | Double Late | 20 | Needs a long chill and results vary. Slow to bloom, and less even and dependable than in the field. | |
| Queensday | Double Late | 17 | Fully double flowers on thick stems. Lots of foliage; big leaves slow processing. Great color and even stand. Blooms faster in later plantings. | |
| Sunlover | Double Late | 15 | Slow to stretch and bloom. Tall stems can't hold up the heavy double flowers. Did better for us in the field. | |
| Amazing Parrot | Parrot | 18 | Striking color and strong stems. Necks can snap. | |
| Apricot Parrot | Parrot | 16 | Excellent quality with big flowers. Long, clean stems are easy to strip but less stiff than varieties like Verona or Finola. | |
| Astronaut Andre Kuipers | Parrot | 17 | Very even, with strong stems that are easy to harvest and clean. | |
| Mysterious Parrot | Parrot | 16 | Excellent quality and one of the best parrots for stems: thick stems hold the flowers without drooping. | |
| Parrot King | Parrot | 16 | Striking color and good, even flowers. Long stems are thin and can droop. | |
| Rasta Parrot | Parrot | 17 | Short but very sturdy, straight stems that are easy to harvest and clean. Flowers match field quality: not especially full, but bold colors. Shorter stems in later plantings. | |
| Super Parrot | Parrot | 16 | Big, full flowers on weak stems that snap or droop and are hard to handle. Shorter stems in later plantings. | |
| Dordogne | Single Late | 18 | Tall and slow to mature; stems tend to bend as the flowers open. | |
| Menton | Single Late | 16 | Tall and slow to mature, with gorgeous color. Necks snap very easily after harvest. | |
| Queen of the Night | Single Late | 17 | Slow to mature, with dramatic color, an unusual flower shape and thin stems. | |
| Silver Cloud | Triumph | 17 | Beautiful color, especially in bud, with an elegant slim shape and slim leaves that wrap the bud for nice contrast. Thin stems and small flowers, but the color and unusual shape add interest to mixed bunches. | |
Notes on Tulip Classes
You'll find forcing tulips in all the main classes: single early, double early, Triumph, Darwin hybrid, parrot, lily-flowered, single late and double late.
Darwin Hybrid Tulips
Darwin hybrids are usually tall, early and vigorous. They do great in the field, but their long stems can be weak when forced, so test Darwin hybrid varieties yourself.
- The Impression varieties forced well in our trials, though their heavy foliage can slow down stem processing.
Single Early Tulips
These classic single tulips usually bloom early and are a common pick for early forcing.
Triumph Tulips
Triumph tulips are another common forcing class. They come in lots of colors and are mostly single. They're more compact than Darwin hybrids but still taller than many doubles.
Double-Flowering Tulips
Early and late doubles tend to be short but come in a beautiful range of colors and flower forms. Their stems may be short, but they're usually sturdy, which makes harvesting and processing easier. Varieties that did well in our trials:
- Margarita
- Finola
- Verona
- Marie Jo
- Dream Touch
- Drumline
- Crème Upstar
- Charming Beauty
Parrot Tulips
Parrots are a varied class with showy flowers in striking color mixes. Known for their fringed, ruffled petal edges, they differ a lot in bloom time, stem quality and color. Top performers in our trials:
- Rococo
- Rasta Parrot
- Mysterious Parrot
See the forced tulip trial results chartabove for details on more parrot varieties.
Single Late
Also called French tulips, these single varieties usually bloom later on taller stems. Test your own favorites.
References
- Hertogh, A. D. (1996). Holland Bulb Forcer's Guide. Hillegom, The Netherlands: The International Flower Bulb Centre.
- International Flower Bulb Centre. (2022). The Forcing of Tulips: Forcing methods for cut flower production and for pot plant production.
- Miller, D. W. (2010, November). A Review of Procedures for Forcing High Quality Rooting Room Bulbs. Retrieved from Research Newsletter: http://hort.cornell.edu/bulb/newsletter/pdfs/25-201011.pdf
