Confessions of a Tulip Addict: Britt Willoughby on the Appeal of Cultivating Super-Rarefied Tulips – Gardenista

Most of us like to walk away after putting a plant in the ground, having made sure in advance that it has a good chance of surviving unaided. Right plant, right place—it’s a sensible mantra, made famous by the late Beth Chatto. Tulips, though, do not fall into this category, especially if you don’t live in the well-drained, mountainous conditions where the various species thrive. Tulip cultivars, pampered most famously in 17th century Holland, still have the reputation of a rich person’s amusement: They need to be replaced every year, if they haven’t already self-immolated from tulip fire (a fungal disease).

With smaller, simpler species tulips growing in popularity (they naturalize well, and are reliably perennial) it’s a reasonable question why anybody would want to get involved with Historic Tulips (historics), whether classed as Dutch Breeder or Broken, or the super-rarefied sub-group, not even available on the open market, called English Florists’. Our contributing photographer Britt Willoughby is one of those people. Below, she explains her obsession:

Photography by Britt Willoughby.

Britt’s sumptuous show of art prints (on display until February at Thyme at Southrop, Gloucestershire) includes platinum prints, the expensive and painstaking process pioneered in the 19th century, and continued by art photographers due to its ravishing effect. “The platinum process started in the 1800s when English Florists’ tulips were being bred,” says Britt, who decided to apply this rarefied process only to these most rarefied, contemporary subjects. Dutch historics were left out, being from a different era. A limited edition, two-volume book, set by hand and printed at Rooksmoor Press in Stroud, is also part of her offering. This enthusiastic attention to detail and quality is an insight into Britt’s obsession with a flower that begins to die (beautifully) as soon as it starts to bloom.

Flaming and feathering is caused by a virus. When a tulip begins to “break” it is a source of some excitement, as well as anxiety. Tulips change every day when they are growing, and a break adds to their visual intrigue as the markings spread (or not) over the petals.

Tulip Breaking Virus was discovered in the 1920s, almost 300 years after the great tulip craze in the Netherlands. Spread by aphids, it is a more prosaic explanation for the entrancing markings of certain blooms. “It can happen any time,” says Britt. “I think my carelessness in the beginning led to almost all my Dutch bulbs breaking.” The virus can weaken affected bulbs over time and broken tulips need to be separated from the rest.

Dutch historics that are feathered and flamed through breeding are on the open market. Also known as Rembrandts; Britt buys hers (plus bulbs in solid colors) from Jacques Amand.