Description

Tulip bakeri Lilac Wonder is a delightful wild-type botanical tulip, blooming early (late March–early April) with starry, lilac-pink petals and a bold golden-yellow centre. Growing just 15–20 cm tall, it’s ideal for rockeries, gravel gardens, alpine troughs, or naturalising into short turf and meadow margins. A true perennial tulip, it spreads modestly over time when left undisturbed in well-drained conditions.

Best suited to sunny sites with light soil—gritty loam, sandy banks, or chalky slopes. Avoid heavy wet clay. This cultivar performs exceptionally in biodiversity schemes, urban greening projects, green roofs, and pollinator-focused planting. Interplant with Crocus tommasinianus, Scilla bifolia, Anemone blanda, or Fritillaria meleagris for early-season flowering continuity.

It’s highly beneficial to native bees, offering open access to pollen and nectar at a critical time for queen bumblebees. The low, open flower structure is also attractive to hoverflies and early solitary bees.

Tulip bakeri Lilac Wonder is exceptionally frost-hardy, drought-tolerant once established, and fully perennial in Irish conditions. Plant in groups of 10–15 for naturalistic drifts. No lifting required — ideal for low-maintenance public spaces or naturalised garden corners.