Each 4 inch flower packs rows of white inner petals that stand proud of a pink, red or purple outer crown, so the whole bloom reads as two scoops of ice cream. The Ice Cream tulip (Tulipa ‘Ice Cream’) is a late double that flowers for up to two months where soil stays soft, well-drained and moderately moist.
| Botanical name | Tulipa |
|---|---|
| Common name | Tulipa Ice Cream |
| Family | Liliaceae |
| Type | true bulb |
| Height | 10 to 16 inches (25 to 40 cm) |
| Planting distance | 4 inches (10 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun to partial shade |
| Soil | clayish loam, well-draining, cool |
| Planting | mid-autumn to early winter |
| Blooming | late spring to late summer |
A late bloomer, earliest mid-May, it produces spectacular 4 inch (10 cm)flowers, the crown of which contains several rows of petals. The outer rows come in different colors like red, purple or pink, and the inside layers are white and very densely packed together. Since they’re longer than the outer ones, they stick out from the center.
All in all, this double tulip looks incredibly like two delicious scoops of ice cream, vanilla on the top and what might be strawberry on the bottom. Hence, the name “Ice Cream” tulip. The stems of this late double variety are stocky and short, since they won’t grow any taller than 10 to 16 inches tall (25 to 40 cm) when mature. Around then stems, deciduous foliage appears, dense and a lush, lively green.
This double tulip blooms late, around mid-May. Even so, the blooming lasts a very long time: it can hold for up to 2 months. It’s often planted in large clusters in a flower bed, along edges, and even in pots.
Tulipa ‘Ice Cream’ loves loose, soft soil that is moderately moist. Water it every 2 to 3 days in case of heat waves, and only every 5 to 7 days when the weather is milder. Remember to remove weeds from around your plants. Add bulb flower fertilizer before the blooming begins.
Cut wilted flower stems but keep the leaves until they turn yellow, too. That’s the sign that you can cut and remove them. Add fertilizer and start watering again so that you can beef up the nutrient reserves to the point that it reaches a large caliber size (11+).
Note: the Ice Cream tulip resists diseases well.
‘Ice Cream’ belongs to the double-flowered tulips, a group where several other cultivars are stocked by almost every garden centre and bulb catalogue. Use them to stretch the double-tulip season or to set off the pink-and-white scoops.
| Variety | Colour | Height | Flowering |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Black Hero’ | Near-black purple | About 20 in (50 cm) | Late spring |
| ‘Peach Blossom’ | Rose pink with paler flush | About 12 in (30 cm) | Mid-spring |
| ‘Mount Tacoma’ | Pure white | About 16 in (40 cm) | Late spring |
| ‘Angélique’ | Soft pink shading to pale edges | About 16 in (40 cm) | Late spring |
| ‘Carnaval de Nice’ | White flamed with red | About 16 in (40 cm) | Late spring |
| ‘Uncle Tom’ | Deep maroon red | About 18 in (45 cm) | Late spring |
| ‘Monte Carlo’ | Bright yellow | About 14 in (35 cm) | Mid-spring |
| ‘Abba’ | Tomato red | About 12 in (30 cm) | Mid-spring |
The late double Ice Cream tulip loves sunny spots, but it will also prosper in partly shaded areas.
Given that the Ice Cream tulip is a hardy bulb flower down to -4°F (-20°C), you can simply let it spend the winter in the ground in most temperate climates.
If you’re growing your ice cream tulips in a pot, follow the same steps, but don’t plant the bulbs as deep: let the tip peek through the soil.
This tulip will stay beautiful for a very long time in a bouquet !
Cut the stems when the bud has coloured up fully but is still closed, since this double flower opens wide indoors and lasts longer if picked tight.
Freshly cut daffodils release sap that shortens tulip vase life, so condition them alone in water for about 12 to 24 hours, without recutting stems, before arranging them with Ice Cream tulips.
Tulip stems keep growing once in the vase, so expect the arrangement to stretch and re-trim the ends every couple of days.
