The Tulip Garden

An inspirational introduction to growing and collecting tulips, set against the backdrop of a beautiful English garden, with expert tips and advice for gardeners

Tulips are one of the world’s most popular flowers, with over 2,500 varieties produced in the Netherlands each year. This spectacular book showcases a unique collection of rare and covetable tulips at Blacklands, the beautiful English country garden of tulip expert Polly Nicholson.

Combining the flower’s rich cultural history with growing advice, Nicholson provides a comprehensive introduction to cultivating species, historic Dutch and English Florists’ tulips, and annual garden tulips. Featuring all types of tulip – from wild, species tulips to old Dutch cultivars, as well as English Florists’, and the ever popular annual garden tulips – she also offers modern context and sensible and practical advice for gardeners, based on her personal horticultural experience.

Bringing to life varieties that date back to the 16th century, Nicholson demonstrates how these treasured bulbs and more modern varieties of these enchanting spring flowers can be grown today – whether in herbaceous borders, naturalized in grass, in containers, gravel, meadow settings, or in the garden for cutting.

The Tulip Garden is an essential reference for tulip lovers, florists, and gardeners, but also, with newly commissioned photography by Andrew Montgomery, an inspirational resource, tapping into the zeitgeist for sustainable flowers and organic gardening, focusing on one of the world’s most popular flowers.

Review

'Polly’s passion for tulips is completely infectious and the enchanting sanctuary she has created for them beguiles and delights from every single page of this book. It will undoubtedly become the tulip lover’s bible and might well generate a twenty-first century episode of tulipomania. Welcome to a new addiction.' – Shane Connolly, floral designer and author

‘[Nicholson] has gathered all her knowledge into The Tulip Garden, a book that breaks down the hugely complex groups and divisions of tulips into a luscious guide.'– The Telegraph

‘A kaleidoscope of tulips blooms in spring.’ – The New York Times

'Specialist organic grower Polly Nicholson shares her passion for these blooms'– House & Garden

‘If you know someone who loves a vase of slumped-over tulips, we think they’ll also like this book.’ – The Strategist

'Expert grower [Nicholson] shares her secrets on raising the most rarefied tulips.’ – Gardenista

About the Author

Specialist flower grower and tulip expert, Polly Nicholson is the owner of Bayntun Flowers in Wiltshire – growers of organic flowers cultivated in walled gardens and a one-acre field at the foot of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. Nicholson holds the National Collection of Tulipa (Historic) with Plant Heritage, and has featured on BBC Gardener’s World, Radio 4, in Gardens Illustrated, Country Life, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The World of Interiors, and House & Garden.

Andrew Montgomery has been a photographer all his life. Based in London, he began his career shooting portraits before moving into lifestyle and narrative photography. His first book commission was Jasper Conran’s Country (2010), and more than 20 titles followed, covering food, travel and gardens, and working with acclaimed chefs and food writers as well several of the UK’s leading garden designers.