Description

Tulip Honky Tonk is a delightful heirloom botanical tulip, treasured since the mid-20th century for its soft primrose-yellow blooms washed with a subtle ivory haze. Its lightly fragrant, star-shaped flowers open wide in warm sunshine, releasing a gentle scent and providing valuable early pollen for bees emerging from winter dormancy. As a compact species tulip, it produces multiple flowers per bulb and naturalises well, rewarding minimal care with reliable yearly displays.

Reaching 10–20 cm in height, Honky Tonk thrives in full sun and free-draining soils, particularly sandy or gritty loams that mimic its native habitats. It is ideal for rock gardens, gravel borders, orchard underplanting, and low-maintenance naturalised drifts. It partners beautifully with Anemone blanda Blue Shades for a striking colour contrast, Muscari azureum for a soft carpet beneath, or Chionodoxa forbesii for a layered spring tapestry. Its heirloom status makes it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking both timeless charm and ecological value in their planting schemes.