Black Tulip (Tulipa)- the name, which includes various varieties of tulips, the flowers of which have a dark purple, black-blue and maroon color. The origin history is still unknown. The species was first mentioned in the middle of the 17th century.
Features and characteristics
Black as henna, the flowers were first grown in 1986 in the Netherlands. In 1979, two varieties of flowers of the indicated color were presented at once - Wiener Weld And "Queen of the Night".
Despite the fact that any black variety in the light has a dark night color, in fact it is a deep purple. Otherwise, the presented varieties are no different from the standard ones.
The most popular varieties
The black color of the buds has a whole group of varieties of tulips. All of them change the shade of the petals depending on the level of illumination.
Ronaldo
Elegant and mysterious flower. It has petals of burgundy color with raspberry-lilac additives, reaches a height of 45 cm. The glass has a rounded shape. Suitable for cutting and landscaping.
Black Hero
Black, like henna, variety. Refers to late terry species. The bud reaches a height of 7 cm, the number of petals is doubled. The diameter of the opened flower is 11 cm. Distinctive feature- an impressive number of petals. Plant height reaches 60 cm. Flowering occurs from May to July. Requires shelter for the winter.
Black Parrot
In the photo it looks like the plumage of a parrot, hence the name. It blooms in early May, has maroon petals with green stripes. In diameter, the bud reaches 20 cm, the height of the plant is 10 cm. The growth rate is average, you can use the tulip for arranging bouquets, landscaping and decorating flower beds. Prefers to grow in partial shade or in a well-lit area.
Black Pearl
Late simple black flower. The length of the stem reaches 60 cm. Perfect option for cutting. Suitable for landscaping, blooms from April to May.
african queen
The variety is characterized by an almost black, ruby-red color, there is a thin border white color. It looks very beautiful in the photo, it is actively used to create fringed dark white varieties that look no less attractive in the photo. The texture of the flower is waxy, the shape is beautiful, the glass does not open, the size is medium.
Dorrie
Simple late black tulip. The length of the stem reaches 60 cm. The variety is ideal for cutting.
night queen
The black tulip has a delicate fragrance and regal appearance. It reaches a height of 60 cm. The tulip is simple, late, powerful. The flowers are large, goblet-shaped, have blunt petals and square base. Flowering occurs in mid-May. Scope of application - gardening, forcing and cutting.
It must be remembered that black, like henna, varieties of tulips do not exist in nature. Without chemical processing getting the color to be pure black will not work, so you have to be content with what you have.
Black Tulip "King of the Night" (video)
Use in landscape design
The black variety of tulips is usually planted in groups of nine plants. If the goal is urban landscaping, 50 pieces of flowers can be used. The variety looks great:
- in rockeries;
- in the flower beds;
- near the tracks;
- in containers;
- near trees and shrubs.
If you take not one variety, but several, you can achieve continuous flowering within two and a half months. One plant can bloom for about 15 days.
The black variety is actively used to create bouquets. At the same time, in the cut, it costs at least ten days. To make the tulip look great in the photo and in life, it is better to cut it early in the morning or late in the evening - at this time the plant is saturated with water.
What are black tulips combined with
The black variety of tulips looks great with other bulbs. The traditional option is planting with daffodils, which give the flower bed some intimacy and elegance. Saturated black color will perfectly resonate with white daffodils, which will set off the nobility of black.
A black tulip can also be planted with yellow or cream daffodils, as well as anemones, muscari, hyacinths. Dark as henna, the plant is beautifully shaded by blue muscari or plants lilac color, but proceed with caution when landing. In this case, it is necessary to correctly select shades and place accents.
Black tulip goes well with blue hyacinth or tender anemone. Good combinations with cream and yellow tulips, a sharp contrast will be placed near black white flowers. It is recommended to plant a black, like henna, plant also in the upper tier above white anemones or blueberries and hyacinths.
In the photo and in life, the black tulip looks great on open space and around trees. You can place it next to perennials.
If you plan to grow a black tulip in one place for a couple of years, it is worth planting annuals on top of the bulbs. In a flower bed with different tiers, tulips are usually placed on the first line.
The ideal option is to plant a black flower in a flower bed with plants such as:
- penstemons;
- woolly cleaner;
- veronica;
- hellebore;
- cuffs.
The black tulip can also be combined with hostas, milkweed, peonies, ferns, daylilies. The black color of the plant in this case will look appropriate both in the depths of the flower bed and in the foreground.
Another way for successful placement is planting under ground cover perennials. The latter can be:
- forget-me-nots (Myosotis);
- Caucasian arabis (Arabis caucasica);
- phloxes (Phlox);
- aubrieta.
Diverse world of tulips (video)
Dark tulips, the color of which means belonging to the royal family, look just fine. At the same time, you can combine them with any pastel or light colors, for example, with phloxes, primroses or other tulips.
The variety of varieties of tulips that exist today will not surprise anyone. Their species diversity is already beyond all possibilities. Breeders come up with more and more eccentric modifications that can amaze the imagination of the most sophisticated gardener, to say nothing of inexperienced beginners.
On the territory of Persia, the tulip was first cultivated, but they began to really admire it in Turkey. Numerous wives of the almighty Sultan bred tulips of unforgettable beauty, competing with each other to show their spouse how strong their love is.
In 1554 given flower entered the lives of Europeans. After some time, real fans of tulip varieties appeared, which came from rich and titled families. For new varieties that were just beginning to appear in Europe, they gave incredible money and soon enjoyed the flowering of bright tulips in their well-groomed and closed territories.
But the most popular flowers were in Holland, which at that time was considered a rather rich country. In the 1630s, numerous cultivars were bred in the Netherlands, famous for their colors and sizes, the bulbs of which were sold all over the world, even though they were incredibly high cost, Dutch tulips were highly valued then, and still not much has changed.
Growing tulips outdoors
In the world there are many varieties of tulips, which differ in their height and color. Can be found undersized varieties no more than 20 cm high, as well as tall, the flowering stem of the latter sometimes reaches 70 cm.
As a rule, all species have only one flower on the stem, but many-flowered varieties can also be found, endowed with 3 to 5 flowers. The flower consists of 6 petals and the same number of stamens with elongated anthers. The most common tulip color is red, but yellow and white flowers of simple varieties can also be found. What size and color the flower itself will also come from the variety you choose.
In sunny weather, the glasses open wide, but with the onset of night or on cloudy days, they are closed in anticipation of the sun's rays. Tulips have a trihedral box, which is the fruit in which triangular, flat, yellow-brown seeds are born. Which can be used to propagate these beautiful spring flowers.
What types and varieties of tulips can be found
In 1981, Dutch flower growers compiled the latest classification and register, which includes 10 thousand sub-cultivars of tulips. All of them are divided into 4 main groups and 15 classes. It is this classification that flower growers from all over the world adhere to.
I group. early blooming tulips
plain yellow
TO 1st class relate simple early flowering low tulips with stable peduncles from 25 to 40 cm high. Flowers can be goblet and cup-shaped in red and yellow.
- Demeter - reddish purple flowers
- Golden Harvest - bright yellow
- Golden Olga - cream with yellow
- Ibis Mont Trezor - yellow or pink flowers
- Cooler Cardinal - red tulip
- Purple Prince
- Christmas Marvel Christmas Marvel - pink with a delicate border, a shade slightly lighter than the main
2nd grade includes early terry tulips, reaching 25-35 cm in height, with double flowers of warm shades, usually red and yellow. The circumference of the flower in the open form can reach 10 cm. It is distinguished by long flowering.
Tulip Sundae
The most popular of this class include:
- Ice Cream, Popsicle, Plombir or just Ice Cream, one of the most exclusive and interesting varieties. From the pink terry thick, white splendor rises.
- Schoonord creamy white with yellow center
- Electra red tulips
- Barbados dark purple
- Murillos pinkish white
- Double Price lilac with white haze
- Abba is a rich red variety with a dark stripe along the edge, slightly pointed petal
- Madame Testu dark red
- Miranda deep red
II group. Tulips of the middle period of flowering
Like the previous varieties, they are divided into two main classes.
Flowers of the 3rd class or as it is also called Triumph class, have long strong shoots, the height of which reaches 70 cm, with a goblet-shaped flower. This species begins to bloom in early April, and pleases others for 3 weeks.
The most popular varieties of this class include:
- Aviator Algiba soft lilac with a light stripe
- red crater
- Golden Eddy bright red
- Blenda Flame pink-white
- Brown tulip Gavota goblet-shaped, with a wide yellow stripe
- Lady Chantal snow-white variety
- Judith Leyster sweet pink with cream spots
- Happy Generation is a white tulip, and red fiery tongues “rise” along it
- Snowstar: both fringed and double white tulip
- Alba two-tone: with a silver edging along the edge of the petal, carmine red
- White Alba
4 class tulips or Darwin hybrids are also tall specimens with shoots up to 80 cm. The diameter of an open flower is 10 cm. This species is perfectly stored in cut form and copes with spring frosts. 
Blooms until May.
Bed cultivars of these hybrids include varieties:
- Red Tulips Parade
- London is pure red
- Vivex red-orange
- Supermodel dutch variety pink
- Salmon Impression is smoky pink on the outside and orange on the inside.
- Oxford bright red
- Artist bright golden yellow tulip
- Big Chief light red with white bloom
- Apeldoorn red with a wide yellow gradient on all sides of the petal
III group. late blooming tulips
The presented group includes only unusual and exotic varieties of beautiful fellows.
Meet in 5th grade late single tulips with strong tall stems, the height of which can vary from 60 cm to 80 cm. Large flowers are characterized by blunt petals.
Late varieties of tulips
There are a variety of shades, among which it is worth noting snow-white, rich black, light pink and dark burgundy. There may be varieties painted simultaneously in several colors. Grown for cutting into bouquets or late forcing.
Simple late bloomers include:
- Georgette pure red tulip
- Dillenburg yellow blurred stripe fading to red
- Black tulip Queen of Night t (Queen of Night) or the queen of the night in the light shimmers with purple-red highlights
- Tulip Black Prince with black and purple petals
- Antoinette is a multi-flowered chameleon tulip that changes color from yellow and orange to red
- Bacchus Bacchus purplish purple
Green with pink
Class 6 includes green plants. The flowers are painted in light pink and pale cream color, and their middle or small plot endowed with a green tint.
This includes the following varieties:
- Green Wave green petals with pink fringe
- Sprin Green white with green stripes
- china town lily slightly pink green tulip
- Golden Artist is a very beautiful multicolor tulip of yellow-red-green tones
- Green tulip Negrita with white shades
- Samurai yellow with green
- Hollywood black and red green tone on the outside
Grade 7 refers to his group fringed tulips, which, due to their unusual and attractive appearance, will appeal to all lovers of original plants.
Sort Traveler
The flowers of this species have a pointed shape, and the edges of their petals are decorated with a coquettish fringe.
This class is famous for such varieties as:
- Louvre with exquisite lilac petals
- Fabio golden yellow buds with a green stripe
- Skippers have a purple-bronze alternating coloration.
- Cambridge exquisite white
- Mont Amour for lovers deep yellow
- Davenport red terracotta with yellow fringe
- Black Hero black fringed tulip
- Flamenco yellow with a thin red stripe
- Mascotte orchid tulip pink-lilac
- Exotic Sun yellow
- maya fringed yellow tulip
- Burgundy Leys pink with white bloom on the outer side of the petal
culture Rembrandt belong to class 8 and has features that distinguish it from other varieties. The petals of these tulips are decorated with dashes and dots. Basically, this species is grown to decorate flower beds, but you can use them to make compositions and bouquets. 
Rembrandt class varieties:
- Union Jack white-red
- Mona Lisa lily-colored lemon yellow with a pink stripe down the center
- orange bowl orange
- Black Boy black tulip with purple tone
- Montgomery pinkish with red stripes
- Pierrette purple tulip with white strokes
- Princess Irene orange-pink with purple tongues
- Prince Carnival red with yellow
- White sorbet with pink stripes tapered up
- Olympic Flame on a yellow petal flutters red flames
Grade 9 includes type parrot tulips. These hybrids are quite original look and attract the eyes of others, petals with deep scars along the edges, which can be compared with the wing of a bird. According to the available data, this species is not selective.
Parrot varieties include:
- Rococo red with a greenish center
- Super Perrot snow white with green veins
- Discovery pink smoky
- Fantasy pink with green veins
- Double Fleming Parrot yellow-white with red streaks
- Black Perrot black-red
Lily or lily-colored tulips assigned to the 10th grade. By name, you can easily determine what kind of flowers the flowers will have. The shape is similar to lilies. The same graceful pointed petals. They can reach up to 50-60 cm in height. These species begin to bloom at the end of May and on sunny days they fully open their glasses.
The views are very beautiful:
- White Triumphant white
- Ballad smoky lilac with white trim
- West Point golden yellow
- Pretty Woman deep red with slightly greenish stripes
- Jacqueline with "wax" pink flowers
- Red Shine scarlet buds
- Claudia lilac pink with a yellowish base
- Akita scarlet with snow-white edging
- Burgundy royal tulip purple black
- Gisella pink
- ballerina yellow orange
- Holland Schick white with pale lilac splashes
11th grade is terry tulips, the height of which reaches 50 cm. It fascinates others with its unusual flowering. Peony colorful flowers are so heavy that sometimes the shoots cannot support them and break under the weight. As a rule, these species are grown for cutting.
Varieties of exquisite terry:
- livingstone red
- Charming Lady multi-flowered apricot tulip
- Eros pearly pink
- Nice peony yellow tulip with red splashes of stripes
IV group. Hybrid or botanical species of tulips
This group contains flowers that have completely different decorative properties and types.
Assigned to class 12 kaufman tulips. These are low-growing plants with a height of no more than 25 cm.
Kaufman
Endowed with large, slightly elongated flowers, which form a star when opened. They can be of different shades, most often painted in two colors. The leaves have purple spots.
Widely popular original varieties with "nominal" names, quite compatible with the appearance of these tulips:
- Shakespeare red with light stripe
- Giuseppe Verdi yellow with purple touches
- Johann Strauss pale yellow with red stripes
- Diamond red spiky petals
- Lady rose pink
- Orange Boy orange
- Crown colorful tulip with cream, yellow, orange and red
In 13th grade included Foster's tulips, which have large elongated flowers, the circumference of which reaches 15 cm. The shoot of these species varies from 30 to 50 cm. Tulips are found in rich red and red-orange, as well as pink and yellow. On slightly wavy leaves, small strokes are visible. The middle part of the glasses is narrowed, which is the difference between this type and other varieties.
- Zombies gently - pink stripes alternate with red
- Patience red with purple streaks
- Copenhagen brightness red
- Exotic Emperor white with green stripes
14th grade. Undersized Greig's tulips they do not exceed 30 cm in height. They are endowed with large red flowers with slightly recurved petals. The leaves of these plants have inclusions.
Most often used to decorate the territory.
- Zampa white-yellow-orange-red
- Giant Perrot
- oriental yellow red
- Plaisir tulip asterisk red with white
- Yellow Down orange yellow
- Majestic red in different shades
- Princess Charmant smoky red
- Tsar Peter white-red
- Double Toronto tulip multi-flowered pink
- Lovely Surprise scarlet
Grade 15 Botanical or Wild subspecies of tulips are usually midget or undersized. Blooms start very early. Buds can be painted in the most unpredictable and varied shades. Well received in a new place, respond favorably to comprehensive care and care of gardeners.
- Shrenka yellow and red dwarf tulips
- Tarda is white with a yellow center in the form of an asterisk
- Gesner burgundy - yellow
- Turkestanika white-yellow
- Eichler scarlet with bluish-whitish back
- Lady Jane pale pink and white
There is another group that was bred quite recently and did not have time to take their place in the classifier. These varieties are gaining popularity with incredible speed among professional flower growers, as well as amateurs.
These are terry - fringed tulips that have terry fringe on glasses of various shades along the edge of each petal.
Photo from the video variety of tulips:
How to properly plant tulips in the spring in the ground or in the fall
In order to grow beautiful flowers must be purchased healthy. Before embarking on planting, be sure to inspect the planting raw materials, which will allow you to identify any disease in advance.
In the event that the bulbs were grown at home, and not bought in special stores, then place them for half an hour in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate. Purchased bulbs do not need to be soaked.
The width of the beds for planting plants should be at least 1-1.2 meters. The furrows where the bulbs will be placed can be both longitudinal and transverse. It doesn't matter what the length of the bed will be.
Bulbs ready for planting must be carefully pressed into the bottom of the hole. Be extremely careful not to damage the roots. After all the planting material is in the groove, cover it with soil.
The depth to which the bulbs should be planted depends only on the size of the bulbs you have purchased and what soil they are planted in.
If the soil is light, then planting tulips should be a little deeper than in heavy soil. The distance between the rows should be at least 20 cm. Place the bulbs in the holes, you need to retreat 10 cm between them.
- Many gardeners for planting bulbs prefer to use an iron pipe with a circumference of 5-7 cm. A piston must be attached to it, which will need to be fixed. Thanks to this device, you can safely place the tulip bulb in the right place, and, most importantly, practically do not get your hands dirty.
- Another popular method that has long been used for convenient planting of bulbs is the use of plastic pots or baskets. A fairly simple and convenient method, with its help you can accurately find the place where the tulips were planted. All that needs to be done is to place the necessary onions in a container, which is subsequently placed in a prepared hole and covered with soil.
How to care for flowers after they have faded
As a rule, ordinary red flowers can grow in one place without needing a transplant for several years. But the same cannot be said about hybrid varieties of tulips. In order for them not to lose their attractiveness, plants require transplantation. If you don't, the bulbs will start to deepen, causing the tulips to produce smaller blooms.
Medvedka, purple armyworm, onion root mite, snails, slugs and mouse-like rodents can cause your flowers to lose their decorative effect. 
- To cope with onion mites, it is necessary to thermally treat the bulbs with 35-40 degree water. In the event that pests were found after planting the plant, then it should be sprayed with a 2% solution of keltan or rogan. These drugs should act quickly and effectively on the flowers. If this does not happen, then you will have to dig up and burn the infected plants. In those places where previously infected plants grew, it is necessary to plant tomatoes, radishes or tagetas, to which this pest is not dangerous.
- To combat the lilac armyworm, treat lower leaves naphthalene.
- Traps will help against bears, snails and slugs. To do this, in those places where tulips grow, it is necessary to lay out rags, slate or other objects under which pests can crawl. View original traps daily and manually get rid of the "captives".
Also, against a bear, a jar half-filled with water, which is dug into the soil, will be effective. Falling into it, the bears cannot get out and die.
Mouse Protection
When you leave the bulbs in the ground for the summer instead of digging them up to dry, keep in mind that little mice love them. To protect the bulbs from harmful rodents, you can plant in the same place with tulips, daffodils or royal grouse, the bulbs of which are poisonous to these pests.
Mice also do not like red pepper, which can be sprinkled on tubers. Kerosene or Vishnevsky ointment will absolutely scare away all rodents from planted bulbs. Treat with these preparations immediately before planting.
Varieties of tulips in landscape design
For abundant and prolonged flowering of spring flowers, it is necessary to select varieties that are combined with each other in color and growth, and also take into account the beginning and end of flowering so that the planted beds with tulips are not empty.
Often they are used in group plantings, in several pieces. It does not matter whether the colors are the same or, conversely, contrasting, the effect is always the same - unconditional admiration.
If you decide to decorate your garden with these unforgettable early flowers, then follow all the necessary rules, and you will surely be able to achieve the desired result and soon enjoy the flowering of tulips of various colors.
How to grow tulips for the holiday of March 8 video:
Black Tulip
In a nutshell: A young florist Cornelius dreams of growing a hitherto unknown flower - a black tulip, for which a big reward is promised. But as always, when money is involved, Cornelius gets in the way of deceit and envy in the person of the black magician Kisell, who dreams of killing Cornelius in order to take possession of the black tulip. As a result of the struggle of deceit and evil with good, honesty and beauty, the latter emerge victorious. Kisella is destroyed by his own evil spells, and Cornelius turns out to be the happy owner of a flower grown by him and the beautiful bride Rose.
There is a struggle for power in the Dutch Republic. The great pensioner of Holland, Jan de Witt, with his brother Cornel de Witt, the chief inspector of dams, are fighting with Prince William III of Orange, who wants to regain the position of stadtholder canceled by the Witts. The advantage is on the side of the prince. Convicted on a false denunciation by the Orange doctor Tikelar, Corneille is tortured in the Buitenghof fortress, but courageously endures them, and now, on August 20, 1672, he should be released into exile. Yang comes for his brother. The crowd at this time is rampant on the approaches to the fortress, demanding the extradition of Witts. Count Tilly, the captain of the cavalry, valiantly defends the fortress, but the crowd goes to the Hague Duma, where they shake out the order from the deputies Bovelt and Asperen to recall Tilly's cavalry. At this time, a frank conversation takes place between the brothers, in which it turns out that Jan's correspondence with the French Minister of War, the Marquis de Louvois, which was at Corneille, was not destroyed by the latter, but was given to them for preservation by his godson Cornelius van Berle, who lives in Dordrecht. With his servant Krake, Jan sends an order to van Berle to burn these documents. The brothers themselves hide, on the advice of the daughter of the jailer Rosa Gryfus, through the back door from the anger of the crowd and go to the gate to get out of the city. However, the gates are locked by order of the Prince of Orange, who, with his trusted Colonel van Decken, followed the developments in the prison from afar. Disappointed, the de Witts drive to another gate, but they are overtaken by a crowd and killed on the spot, and soon Prince Wilhelm is elected stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.
Cornelius van Berle, who lives in Dordrecht, does not care at all about the situation in the country and is unaware of the terrible death of his godfather. Having inherited a lot of money from his father, a merchant, van Berle, despising finances, chooses to squander money, the most expensive hobby in Holland, which the whole state was then fond of: tulip cultivation. However, van Berle, who is seriously carried away by this, does not even suspect that he has a mortal enemy: van Berle's neighbor, Isaac Boxtel, loves tulips, however, short of money, he fades before the glory of his neighbor. Boxtel hates Cornelius and tries his best to ruin his existence. And so, in January 1672, Boxtel, watching his neighbor through a spyglass, sees how Corneille de Witt gives his godson the correspondence of his brother and the Marquis de Louvois. When, in the city of Gaarlem, the “capital of tulips”, the Flower Growers Society promises to give out a fabulous amount as a reward to those who grow the legendary black tulip, both neighbors are chasing the reward, but van Berle, of course, gets three black tulip bulbs before Boxtel. Then the envious neighbor recalls those documents that by that time the already killed Cornel de Witt handed over to van Berle, and informs the Dordrecht judge van Spennen about them, and he arrests Cornelius, sending him with an escort to The Hague. But, contrary to Boxtel's expectations, van Berle takes the cherished bulbs with him.
In The Hague, Cornelius meets old man Grifus, his jailer, an adamant orange man who in every way spoils the life of an unfortunate prisoner. Rosa, his daughter, falls head over heels in love with van Berle; he, not remaining indifferent to Rosa and knowing full well that he himself is doomed to death on the chopping block, bequeaths to her his three onions, the last property remaining with him. At this time, Boxtel arrives in The Hague under a false name and makes acquaintance with Gerbruck, the executioner who is supposed to execute Cornelius. Gerbrook promises to give Boxtel after the execution the clothes of the deceased, where, according to Boxtel, the cherished onions should lie. However, during the execution, the envoy of the newly made stadtholder Prince of Orange, who decided to replace death penalty to life imprisonment. The prey again eludes Boxtel.
Cornelius is transferred to the Leveshtein fortress. Rosa is busy with the Prince of Orange, and he, being in good mood, at her request, appoints Gryphus to Leveshtein. Rosa sees Cornelius in the evenings. Under his supervision, she learns to read and write, and also grows one of the black tulip bulbs; the second is secretly grown in a pot by van Berle, and the third Rose carefully keeps in her closet. But then, one fine day, a certain Jacob Gisels arrives in Leveshtein, slowly drinking Gryphus and wooing his daughter Rosa. In fact, Gisels turns out to be Boxtel, who is procuring a black tulip for himself. Onion van Berle is soon destroyed by the drunken Gryphus. The bulb of the Rose blossoms, but she is kidnapped by Boxtel and leaves for Haarlem. Rosa, taking a third with her, goes in pursuit.
Having reached Haarlem, Rosa goes to the chairman of the Society of Florists Peters van Sistens, but he does not believe in the authenticity of the story. The Prince of Orange, who arrived to stare at the black tulip, listens to Rose, who presented him with the third onion and a letter from Corneille de Witt to Cornelius, in which van Berle's innocence is proved. Colonel van Decken, on the orders of the prince, brings Cornelius from Leveshtein (the latter, by the way, at that time took revenge on Gryfus for all the oppression by beating him with a stick); Wilhelm awards the black tulip award and prize to Cornelius van Berle and Rosa Gryfus and promptly betroths them. Boxtel, who was at the ceremony, had apoplexy and died. Gryphus reconciled with his son-in-law, quit his job in prison and began to live with Cornelius and Rosa in Dordrecht, guarding the tulip garden from rodents.
And so, the Sunday appointed for this ceremony became a day of popular rejoicing. Unusual enthusiasm seized the townspeople. Even those who had the mocking character of the French, accustomed to making fun of everyone and everything, could not help but admire these glorious Dutch, ready to spend money with equal ease on building a ship to fight enemies, that is, to maintain national honor, and to reward for the discovery of a new a flower that was destined to shine for one day and entertain women, scientists and the curious during that day.
At the head of the representatives of the city and the horticultural committee, Mr. van Sistens, dressed in his best dress, shone. This worthy man made every effort to look like his favorite flower in the grace of dark and austere dress, and we hasten to add that he successfully achieved this. Black glass beads, blue velvet, dark purple silk, combined with dazzlingly clean linen - that was what was included in the ceremonial costume of the chairman, who walked at the head of the committee with a huge bouquet in his hands.
Behind the committee, motley as a lawn, fragrant as spring, walked in order the learned societies of the city, the magistracy, the military, representatives of the nobility and peasantry. As for the mass of the people, even among the gentlemen of the Republicans of the Seven Provinces, they did not have their place in this procession: they were left to stare at them, crowding around.
However, this the best place for both contemplation and action. This is a place of crowds of people who are waiting for the triumphal procession to pass in order to know what needs to be done in connection with it.
This time there was no question of the triumph of Pompey, or Caesar. This time neither the defeat of Mithridates nor the conquest of Gaul was celebrated. The procession was calm, like the procession of a flock of sheep on the ground, harmless, like the flight of birds in the air.
In Haarlem, only gardeners were winners. Loving flowers, Haarlem deified flower growers.
In the midst of a peaceful, perfumed procession, a black tulip towered, which was carried on a stretcher covered with white velvet with gold fringe. Four people, changing from time to time, carried a stretcher, just as at one time in Rome those who carried the image of the Great Mother Cybele were replaced when she was brought from Etruria and she solemnly entered the eternal city to the sounds of trumpets and with general worship.
It was agreed that the Stadtholder Prince himself would present a prize of one hundred thousand florins - which was generally interesting to look at - and that he might perhaps give a speech, and this was of particular interest to him and friends and enemies. It is known that in the most insignificant speeches politicians their friends or enemies are always trying to detect and somehow interpret some important hints.
Finally, the long-awaited great day came - May 15, 1673; and all of Gaarlem, and besides, with their surroundings, lined up along the beautiful alleys with the firm intention of applauding this time not the military and not the great scientists, but simply the conquerors of nature, who forced this inexhaustible mother to give birth to what was considered impossible before - a black tulip.
But the intention of the crowd to greet something or someone is often unstable. And when the city is preparing to applaud or whistle, he never knows where he will stop.
So, first they applauded van Sistens and his bouquet, they applauded their corporations, they applauded themselves. And finally, and quite deservedly this time, applause was given to the beautiful music that played diligently at every stop.
But after the first hero of the celebration, the black tulip, all eyes were looking for the hero of the festival, who was the creator of this tulip.
If a hero had appeared after such a carefully prepared speech of the glorious van Sistens, he would, of course, have made a greater impression than the stadtholder himself. But for us, the interest of the day lies not in the venerable speech of our friend van Sistens, however eloquent it may be, and not in the young, dressed-up aristocrats, chewing their rich pies, and not in the poor, half-naked plebeians, gnawing smoked eels that look like vanilla sticks. We are not even interested in these beautiful Dutch women with rosy cheeks and white breasts, or the fat and squat Mingers who have never left their homes before, or the thin and yellow travelers who arrived from Ceylon and Java, or the excited common people who ate for refreshment. salted cucumbers. No, for us the whole interest of the situation, the main, genuine, dramatic interest, was not concentrated here.
For us, the interest lies in a certain person, radiant and lively, walking among the members of the gardening committee; the interest lies in this person, dressed up, combed, pomaded, dressed in all red, a color that especially sets off her black hair and yellow complexion.
This jubilant, intoxicated with delight victor, this hero of the day, who is destined for the great honor to outshine both the speech of van Sistens and the presence of the stadtholder - Isaac Boxtel. And he sees in front of him, on the right, a black tulip, his imaginary offspring, being carried on a velvet cushion, and on the left a large bag with one hundred thousand florins, beautiful, shiny gold coins, and he is ready to squint his eyes completely so as not to lose sight of a single one or the other.
From time to time Boxtel quickens his steps to touch Van Sistens' elbow with his elbow. Boxtel tries to borrow from everyone a particle of his dignity in order to give himself value, just as he stole her tulip from Rosa in order to gain fame and money.
Only a quarter of an hour will pass before the prince arrives. The tuple must make one last stop. When the tulip is raised to its throne, the prince, giving way to his rival in the heart of the people, will take a magnificently painted parchment on which the name of the creator of the tulip is written, and in a loud clear voice will announce that a miracle has happened, that Holland, in the person of him, Boxtel, forced nature to create a black flower and that this flower will henceforth be called Tulipa nigra Boxtellea.
From time to time, Boxtel takes his eyes off the tulip and the bag of money for a moment and looks timidly into the crowd, as he is afraid to see the pale face of a beautiful Friesland woman there.
It is understandable that this ghost would have disturbed his feast, just as Banquo's ghost disturbed Macbeth's feast.
And let us hasten to add, this despicable man who climbed over the wall, and not his own wall at that, climbed through the window to enter his neighbor's apartment, climbed into Rosa's room with a fake key - this man who stole fame from a man and a dowry - in a woman, this man did not consider himself a thief.
He was so worried about the tulip, he watched it so carefully from the box in the Cornelius dryer to the Buytenhof scaffold, from the Buytenhof scaffold to the prison in the Leveshtein fortress, he saw so well how the tulip was born and grew on Rosa's window, he warmed up so many times with his breath the air around him, that no one could be the owner of a tulip with a greater right than he. If the black tulip were taken away from him now, it would certainly be theft.
But he didn't see Rose anywhere. And thus, Boxtel's joy was not overshadowed.
The procession stopped in the center of a circular platform, the magnificent trees of which were decorated with garlands and inscriptions. The procession stopped to the sound of loud music, and the young girls of Haarlem stepped forward to lead the tulip to a high pedestal, on which it was supposed to show off next to the golden chair of his highness the stadtholder.
And the proud tulip, towering on its pedestal, soon took possession of the whole assembly, which clapped their hands, "loud applause resounded throughout Haarlem.
They are beautiful spring flowers and delight gardeners in April-May. They are also often used for earlier distillation. There is now a wide variety of colors, sizes and shapes of this popular flower. Among them, a group of black flowers occupies a worthy place.
black tulips called varieties that have a dark, close to black color, color, which can be dark purple, maroon or dark blue tones. The appearance of black tulips is associated with tulip mania in Holland (1636-1637), which raised interest in rare varieties of this flower to unprecedented heights.
Beginning in the middle of the 17th century, tulips from the northern Dutch city of Haarlem became known to have a rich purple color.
However, the real black color was achieved by the Danish breeder Henk Hageman only in 1986 at the Institute of Floristry of the Netherlands. This flower is actually such a deep purple color that it appears almost black in any light and against any background.
Did you know? Due to its unusual color, the black tulip was mentioned in the famous novel by A. Dumas "The Black Tulip". According to the plot of this novel, the local authorities of the city of Haarlem announced a reward to the author of this unusual flower. This view in the book of Dumas was brought out by Dr. Berle and named after his wife "Rose Berle".
Description and names of the most popular
The group of black tulips includes different varieties. Of course, none of them is completely black. In addition, the density of the dark color is affected by lighting.
This variety has a dark purple color, belongs to the largest group "Triumph". It has a classic goblet bud that never opens. 
It grows up to 40-60 cm and has a strong stem, which makes it easy to cut. Blooms in April-May, suitable for forcing in a greenhouse.
The maroon variety also belongs to the Triumph group and has similar performance. Tulips of this group are considered quite unpretentious and can grow in windy places thanks to a strong stem and bud. Medium-flowering (April-May), suitable for both flower beds and forcing. 
Gardeners celebrate its noble velvety dark color And large flowers which can be up to 8 cm.
The black-burgundy "Queen of the Night" is considered one of the most black flowers. It belongs to simple late-flowering varieties and blooms for about three weeks in mid-May. She has a goblet, large (about 9 cm tall) flower and a strong tall stem.
Did you know? Black tulips are not the only flowers with this coloration. Among the popular flowers grown by gardeners, there are almost black pansies., irises, maroon mallow, almost black mahogany grape lily. The Black Velvet petunia variety has an almost completely black color, and this is not the only petunia with this color, but it is the darkest among its kind. Among the roses, only one variety with black-burgundy petals was bred., whose color density depends on growing conditions.
It can grow both in a sunny place and in partial shade. This tulip grows up to 65 cm. Suitable for garden decoration, medium and late forcing, good for cutting for bouquets. 
Tulips of this variety belong to the variegated Rembrandt tulips. They have a surprisingly contrasting, black and white streaked coloration. Initially, these flowers were affected by the variegation virus, so they should be planted in the garden separately from other varieties to avoid infection.
These varieties are grown with care. The Netherlands even introduced a ban on the cultivation of variegated species, but they still made an exception for some spectacular old varieties. 
This is a medium-sized tulip (40-70 cm) with a goblet flower whose petals can fully open in the sun. It blooms from mid-May and is suitable for cutting.
Another tulip of maroon, almost black tones. It belongs to the terry late varieties, which are also called peony for their flower, which has 15-20 petals. The bud is usually up to 7 cm high, and when fully opened the flower can reach 11 cm in diameter.
The tulip itself grows up to 50-55 cm and has an average growth rate. Flowering occurs at the end of May. It can be planted in the garden, both in the sun and in the shade. It is suitable for cutting and looks great in bouquets. This variety can be used for forcing in greenhouses. 
This maroon flower belongs to the parrot tulips, characterized by wavy petals that show green stripes. The head of flowers of this variety reaches a height of 10 cm, and in width, with full opening of the corrugated petals, sometimes up to 20 cm.
A strong stem reaches 45 cm. It grows well in sunny places and in partial shade. Blossoms at the end of May for 2-3 weeks, a plant of average growth rate. Good for cutting and garden decoration. 
The black tulip of this variety belongs to the fringed species, in which the petals along the edge have an interesting needle-like edging. Color can vary from black-burgundy to black-purple. It blooms in May and reaches a height of about 55 cm.
It has a strong stem and is good for cutting, looks great in bouquets. It can be grown in flower beds or used for forcing. 
This tulip is almost black in color with a slight burgundy tone. It belongs to simple late species and blooms from mid-May, its stem reaches 65 cm.
It has a large goblet flower and is good for cutting, great for decorating the garden. 
The best conditions for black tulips
Before planting these elegant flowers in your garden, you should choose and prepare the right place for planting bulbs.
Soil Requirements
Tulips like fertile, well-drained tulips with neutral or slightly acidic acidity.
Sour earth for them should be limed. They like sandy soil. It is undesirable for the predecessors to be tomatoes or eggplants, as these flowers have common diseases with.
They love complex fertilizers containing, and nitrogenous compounds. But usually gardeners make humus or compost.
Most of these flowers can grow well in partial shade, but prefer lighted places. If black tulips are planted in the shade, they will grow there, but weakly, and they will not look very good.
It is best to choose a place with good lighting for them, especially varietal tulips, which include black ones, prefer sunny places. 
Optimal Humidity
The bulbs of these plants do not tolerate waterlogging and stagnant water. Lowlands, in which puddles form in spring, are fatal for them. At the same time, during the period of activity, they need stable light soil moisture; during the dry period, they will need watering.
Features and basic landing rules
These bulbs are usually planted in autumn in September-October. Planting in the spring is also acceptable, but then in the first year you are unlikely to wait for flowering. First of all, when planting, they are guided by the temperature of the soil - it should be + 5-7 ºС.
It should also be borne in mind that the bulbs need 3-4 weeks to root before frost. If they do not have time to take root, they may die or take root in the spring, but the flower from such a bulb will be weak. Early planted bulbs can produce sprouts that will not survive the first frost.
The soil begins to be prepared 2-4 weeks before planting the bulbs. It is dug up along with the application of fertilizers (humus, compost or complex fertilizers). The prepared place is covered with a film to prevent the appearance, and from September the landing of planting material begins.
Before disembarking, it is moved and processed. Sick specimens are discarded. Most often, the bulbs are pickled in a weak (0.5%) solution.
Video: how to plant tulips The depth of the bulbs to be planted in the ground depends on their size and the quality of the soil. On light soils, they are buried bottom down by three sizes of their diameter, on heavy soils they are planted closer to the surface - by two sizes of bulbs.
Large bulbs are preferably planted in rows with a distance between planting material 10 cm and 20 cm - between the rows themselves.
Smaller bulbs can be planted in a checkerboard pattern. If they are not planned to be dug up often, then the distance between them should be increased to 20 cm, and with annual digging they can be planted more densely. For 1 sq. m usually accounts for about 50 pieces large bulbs black tulips.
When planting, they can not be pressed into the ground, the earth after instillation is not recommended to be rammed. You should also not make holes in which water can stagnate; it is better to level the soil after planting.
Before frost, the place with planted bulbs must be mulched.
Care for black tulips begins as soon as the first shoots appear. Unsprouted bulbs are removed from the ground so as not to expose other flowers to diseases. 
How to water
An important condition for caring for black tulips is sufficient watering. After all root system of these flowers is such that they are not able to receive moisture from the deep layers of the earth. They are very fond of humidity, so during the period of bud formation, flowering and another two weeks after its completion, they need to be watered abundantly and often.
Important! Be sure to make sure that there is no stagnation of water - this can lead to the process of rotting of the bulbs and the death of the plant.
On average, when irrigating, they spend from 15 to 40 liters of water per 1 sq. m. When watering, it is desirable to exclude water from entering the leaves in order to avoid burns.
To conserve moisture, it is recommended to regularly weed and loosen the soil after each rain or watering. It also allows you to fight well with weeds that will interfere with the development of black tulips. The procedure will not be superfluous.
Trimming flowers
Pruning flowers is carried out, guided by the following rules:
- if the cultivation of tulips was carried out for further reproduction, then the flower heads are cut off 4-8 days after the bud blooms. This will allow the bulb to build up mass;
- all crumbled leaves must be removed immediately, otherwise they may accumulate in the axils of the leaves and begin to rot;
- it is impossible to cut the stems of tulips after flowering, as the bulbs will stop developing;
- if flowers are grown for cutting, then after removing the bud with the stem, this plant is not suitable for further reproduction, since the bulb stops its development.
The estimated time for pruning and digging up the bulbs is two to four weeks after flowering is complete.
It is recommended to fertilize black tulips with solutions. If dry top dressing is chosen for this purpose, then you need to make sure that when using such a fertilizer, the leaves of the plant are not wet - otherwise burns may form on them. 
After fertilizing, it is necessary to make abundant watering so that the fertilizer, along with water, is absorbed by the root system.
The first feeding of these flowers occurs in early spring when the first shoots appear. To carry out this procedure, dry fertilizers are scattered in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a ratio of 2: 2: 1 throughout the area, taking into account the norm of 50 g per 1 sq. m. Then watering is carried out.
The second time fertilizers are applied before the formation of buds. For this top dressing, it is desirable to use an aqueous solution that will contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a ratio of 1: 2: 2, that is, the dose of nitrogen becomes less and potassium more.
The fertilizer consumption rate is 30-35 g per 1 sq. m. The last third dressing is done after the flowers have faded, using a solution of potassium and phosphorus in a ratio of 1: 1 at the rate of 30-35 g per 1 sq. m. In order to achieve better development daughter bulbs, an additive in the form of boron and zinc can be added to the solution with fertilizers.
This type of tulip can be susceptible to such a dangerous disease for them as the variegation virus.. This disease is expressed in the presence of spots, strokes, stripes that appear on the petals and leaves of tulips.
Unfortunately, there is no way to deal with this virus, but you need to take the following preventive measures to avoid such a nuisance:
- purchase bulbs for planting from trusted manufacturers;
- when cutting tulips, treat the tool with a disinfectant after each flower, because it is together with the juice of the plant that such a virus enters a healthy specimen from the patient;
- if a tulip with signs of this disease is seen, then it must be dug up along with the ground and burned. The remaining hole is well filled with a solution of potassium permanganate.
In August, these beautiful flowers can be susceptible to tobacco necrosis virus.. Such a disease is classified as fungal. With this disease, the tulip has a curvature of the stem, ugly stripes appear on the flower, darkish spots on the bulb.
A flower that is affected by such a fungus is dug out along with the ground, the hole is filled with a solution of manganese with the addition. 
The solution is prepared in such a proportion - 2 g of boric acid is taken per 10 g of manganese, and then this mixture is dissolved in one liter of water. It is better to fill up the hole after such watering. To avoid further spread of this fungus, spraying is carried out with a two percent solution.
Black tulips can be affected by gray, white, brown, wet, soft or botrythium rot. They are especially susceptible to these diseases during the rainy period in spring, when there is a lot of dampness. To avoid such diseases, it is necessary to ensure good soil drainage.
As a preventive measure against many diseases and pests, during the period when bulbs are dug out on the site and before they are planted, plants are planted that are capable of releasing phytoncides.
This, etc. In order to avoid fungal diseases of plants, it is recommended to use fungicides. For this purpose, the site is irrigated with an aqueous solution of any type of fungicide. To prepare such a solution, take 20 g of the fungicide and dilute it in 10 liters of water.
In nature, natural pests of tulips, like many other flowers, are. To combat them, glass jars are buried in the area, into which about two-thirds of the water is poured. Once in such a trap, the bear cannot get out. Another insect pest is purple owl.
Purple Owl To combat it, the lower part of the leaves is sprinkled with naphthalene powder.
Did you know? The name tulips came to us from the Turkish language. Their heads were similar to turbans, so the flower began to bear this name. For a long time, the tulip was a symbol of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire.
Brown onion mite can also cause tulips a lot of trouble. To get rid of this pest, the bulbs are dipped for five minutes in water heated to +40 ºС. If this tick is found during the growing season, then it is necessary to spray with a two percent solution of "Keltan" or "Rogor".