Parrot Tulips – How Do They Do That?

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.”
– Georgia O'Keeffe

Was Georgia O’Keeffe thinking of tulips when she made this remark? It seems there is no better flower to submerge your thoughts in than our novelty tulips. We sometimes call these varieties “fancy”, and I like this term more, because in theory a “novelty” wears off, where my fascination with these ornate gems is unending.

Looking at tulips in the “Parrot” family can be pretty mind boggling. The most often question we hear is “How do they do that?” How do the petals gain the fringe, the curly edges and the wavy texture that makes these tulips truly fancy?

Parrot tulips came on the scene in the early 1900’s. They existed before then, however, there was a renaissance of the Parrot as breeders were able to increase stem strength in about 1930.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Sun Valley Floral Farms' Floral Talk