Description

Tulip Icoon is a dazzling lily flowering tulip, admired for its sculptural elegance and glowing, two-tone colour that adds energy and sophistication to late-spring displays. Its long, tapering petals curve outward to create the classic lily-flowered silhouette. The colouring is simply spectacular: rich crimson-red petals softly brushed with warm orange tones, giving each bloom a fiery inner glow. Under Irish spring light, the petals shimmer between scarlet and coral, with subtle golden undertones near the base, producing a dynamic effect that changes throughout the day.

Flowering in late spring, Icoon stands on strong, wind-resistant stems. Despite its delicate, flared form, this variety is surprisingly tough, bred for both garden reliability and visual grace. The blooms hold up beautifully in Ireland’s variable coastal and inland conditions, performing well even after rain or cooler nights. Its late-season flowering makes it a superb transition bulb — carrying colour into the period when earlier tulips fade and perennials begin to emerge.

While not strongly fragrant, Icoon offers modest biodiversity value thanks to its open, accessible flower form, which allows bees and hoverflies limited pollen access on warm days. To strengthen its ecological value, it pairs perfectly with Camassia leichtlinii caerulea, Allium Purple Sensation, or Muscari armeniacum, forming layered, pollinator-rich plantings that sustain insect life from April into early summer.

In landscape design, Icoon is a star performer. It brings a sense of movement and lightness to formal beds, mixed herbaceous borders, and civic planting schemes. Its radiant red-orange tones pair brilliantly with whites such as Maureen, deep purples like Queen of Night, and soft apricots or pastels like Menton. It also contrasts beautifully with silver-leaved perennials and ornamental grasses, adding warmth and structure to naturalistic plantings. In containers, Icoon adds instant elegance — its flared blooms rising above foliage with sculptural poise.

Plant bulbs in autumn in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Avoid waterlogged soils, and allow foliage to die back naturally to strengthen bulbs for the following year. When sited correctly, Icoon will return reliably, bringing consistent quality and colour year after year.

With its radiant tones, elegant form, and hardy nature, Tulip Icoon is a standout variety for Irish landscapes — equally suited to design-led gardens, civic schemes, or bold container displays where visual impact and resilience are key.