Ice Cream Tulips
A SWEET TREAT FOR YOUR GARDEN
By Heather Bolen
Photo: Stock Photos from Flying Object/Shutterstock
Is it ice cream? Is it a flower? This delicious-looking double tulip is a unique and rare variety that originated in 1999 from cross-breeding the double white T. Casa Blanca with the double red with yellow edges T. West Frisia.
The white petals, which resemble a peony, don't fully open, making them look like a delightful scoop of ice cream sitting in a vibrant pink bowl.
This extraordinary double bloom is a highlight of the world’s best tulip festivals, such as the one held in Holland’s famous Keukenhof garden.
While a normal tulip has six petals, ice cream tulips have at least twice the amount.
Ice Cream Tulips bloom late in the tulip season, usually late April to early May, making them a great addition to keep your spring garden going longer. They do well in hardiness zones three to eight, which covers a good part of the United States and Europe.
Ice Cream tulips look best planted in informal groups of 10 or as a solid block of at least 20 or more bulbs set just a few inches apart. This will give you a mass of color. If you are planting them for cutting you can grow a separate "cutting garden" and plant them in rows.
See below for the link to buy bulbs.
The strong 14- to 16-inch stems are perfect for cutting, and the full blooms are outstanding in a vase or bouquet. Some blooms can be as large as 4-6 inches!
“Ice cream and Banana Ice Cream. Both amazing tulips which stay short and needs full sun and do not melt.”
Nope, Ice Cream Tulips definitely won’t melt! But, if you’re in the mood for the kind that does, Japan is known for its exotic and Japan-specific soft-serve ice cream flavors. The Tonami Tulip Fair is famous for its tulip soft serve.
And, if you’re feeling creative, try making an edible tulip ice cream bowl, made of French vanilla ice cream heaped into a bed of tulip petals. Looks just like the real thing in nature!
Tulip Ice Cream Bowls
Word of warning: Ice Cream Tulips are not readily available at florist shops in the U.S and typically must be special ordered, which can get pricey. You’re best bet is to grow them yourself! Most seed companies and nurseries will have them in stock during the in-season. But remember, the Ice Cream Tulip is fairly rare, so bulbs sell out quickly. Order early.
Now, it’s your turn. Real or fake?
Fake! These ice cream cones aren’t filled with ice cream but an Ice Cream Tulip. So cute.🌷
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