15 bulbs 260964-15 £8.50

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30 bulbs 260964-30 £15.95

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Glossy like a racehorse on tall, elegant stems – a cracking tulip!

This can be gift wrapped in our exclusive hessian sack, with ribbon and a Sarah Raven gift card. You will be able to add this to your basket once you begin the checkout process. To add a gift message to your order, simply fill out the details at the delivery stage of the checkout.

Please note: only items which are showing ‘in stock’ can be gift wrapped.

Genus Tulipa
Group/Species Triumph

Single-flowered cultivars, stem of medium height, flowering in mid-season. Good lasting properties. Conical flowers, up to 7.5cm wide. Click here for more information about tulip groups.
Variety National Velvet
Type Hardy Perennial Bulb
Common Name Tulip
Border Position Front, Middle
Bulb Size 12/+

For more info on bulb sizes, click here.
Soil Type Acid, Alkaline, Chalky, Clay, Fertile, Heavy Clay, Neutral, Sandy
Scent Unscented
Site Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture Well-drained
Height 50cm (20in)
Spacing Plant pointy end up 10-15cm (4-6in) deep, 8cm (3in) apart. Layer bulbs to a depth of 25-30cm (10-12in) if room is tight. Remember to add plenty of grit if your soil is heavy. For containers, space bulbs 1-2cm (½-1in) apart if planting in a single layer, give them more room, 2-3cm (1-1½in) if planting in a bulb lasagne.
Sowing, Seeds, Planting Plant outdoors October - December.
Care Tips Don't plant tulip bulbs until the cold weather has set in – this helps wipe out viral and fungal diseases. Leave the browning foliage on your tulips until every leaf has died right down – this allows the bulb to store more food and increases the chances of good flowering the following year.
Flowering April - May
Vase Life Tulips make supreme cut flowers. Strip the bottom leaves, tie the stems in paper to hold the stems ram-rod straight and leave to drink for at least 3 hours – or overnight. This helps keep the stems straight, but tulips do continue to grow after picking so curves may appear.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Sow Under Cover/Plant Indoors
  • Direct Sow/Plant Outdoors
  • Flowers/Harvest
Advice & Videos
Protecting tulips from pests

Protect your tulips this spring from their main pests. This short guide shows you how to avoid tulip fire and squirrels.

Planting numbers for bulbs in borders

A handy guide for how many alliums, narcissi, tulips, snowdrops and other bulbs to plant in your plot.

Top tips for growing tulips

Sarah shares her top tips for growing tulips successfully, from how deep to plant them to what sort of soil you should use. 

Sarah's favourite tulip groups

Sarah talks about her favourite types of tulip groups.

How to plant and grow tulips

Find out the best way to plant your tulip bulbs for a great display next spring.

Understanding the 15 different tulip groups

The full list of the different tulip groups, with a little specification, as well as an example. We hope from this you can learn a bit more to help...

Layering bulbs – How to make a bulb lasagne

Create beautiful flower displays in your spring pots with Sarah's guide to layering bulbs in a bulb lasagne.

Related Videos
Delivery

Bulb Delivery - When in stock, please allow up to 1 week for delivery.

Click here to find out more information about our delivery rates and times.

Tulip 'National Velvet' reviews

* * * * * Average based on 3 reviews

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Reviewed 26th June 2019 by Edward

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Reviewed 26th June 2019 by Caroline

Mid - Late flowering in my garden in two pots. Gorgeous sultry colour, but not as robust as I had hoped. Performance was ok, but some were attacked by tiny snails that devoured the flowers before they really got going. Will be vigilant next year!

Most divine tulip

* * * * *

Reviewed 18th July 2017 by Debbie

I planted this tulip in large patio containers last autumn. They gave the most rich, stunning display. They lasted for weeks too. They actually look like velvet. I planted them in cream wooden boxes and their colour was amazing against the cream. I will definitely be planting more this autumn.

Read more reviews