Description

Tulip El Nino is a striking single late tulip that showcases an evolving blend of burnt orange, apricot, and salmon tones brushed with soft rose-pink highlights. Its large, goblet-shaped flowers sit proudly atop tall, robust stems reaching 55–60 cm, offering late-season drama and warmth to both traditional and modern plantings. El Nino flowers in May, making it ideal for extending the spring display into early summer.

This cultivar excels in open, sunny conditions and prefers fertile, free-draining soil. It is especially effective in high-profile public beds, hotel approaches, mixed perennial borders, formal garden displays, and architectural planters outside commercial properties or civic buildings. Its height and long flowering window make it ideal for back-of-border use, roadside verges, estate entrances, and university or museum grounds. In heavier soils, incorporate horticultural grit to enhance drainage and prevent root rot.

El Nino pairs beautifully with Camassia cusickii, Fritillaria persica Ivory Bells, or soft pink tulips like China Town for tonal balance. Its large flower structure provides a wide landing platform and visual draw for pollinators, and while it is not strongly scented, its floral density offers microhabitat value in pollinator-friendly schemes. Use it in biodiversity-conscious planting where structure, resilience, and extended bloom time are essential.