Culture
Grow in organically rich, fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to light shade. Best performance occurs in USDA Zones 5-7 in areas with cool, moist but not wet winters and warm dry summers. Plant bulbs 6-8” deep in fall (4-6” deep if grown in heavy clay soils or as annuals). Space bulbs 4-5” apart. Alberti tulips are noted for being long-lived perennials which come back year after year. They are also noted for having good perennial performance in southern gardens because the bulbs have less need for cold winter conditions. They may of course be grown as annuals. When grown as perennials, spent flower stems should be promptly removed after bloom, but foliage should not be removed until it yellows. In optimum growing conditions, this tulip will naturalize in the garden by stolons and offsets to form colonies.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Tulipa alberti (albertii is preferred by some experts), commonly known as Albert’s tulip, is a species tulip (Division 15) that grows to compact 6-8” tall. Each bulb produces 3-4 linear, glaucous, undulate, broad-lanceolate, blue-green leaves (to 6” long). An erect flowering stem rises up from each bulb to 8” tall in April bearing a solitary, cup-shaped, orange-scarlet (occasionally yellow) tulip with a yellow-margined, dark purple to black basal blotch. This tulip is native to central Asia (Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).
Genus name comes the Latinized version of the Turkish name tulbend meaning a turban.
Specific epithet honors Albert von Regel (1845-1908), Swiss born Russian physician and botanist, who discovered and collected this tulip in Turkestan during the late 1800s.
Common name of Albert’s tulip also honors Albert von Regel (1845-1908).
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Bulb and root rots may occur, particularly in wet, poorly-drained soils. Gray mold. Mosaic virus may also occur. Animal pests include aphids, slugs and snails. Mice and voles are attracted to the bulbs.
Uses
Beds, borders and rock gardens. Best planted in large groups or massed. Containers.