Choosing Tulip Varieties for Forcing

• Varieties that tend to force well typically have sturdy stems and a stocky plant habit. If a variety is tall and thin-stemmed in the field, it will likely perform similarly in a forcing environment, and possibly even more so since the plants will be grown in a sheltered greenhouse environment rather than in an open field where plants experience the stress of wind, rain, and fluctuating temperatures.
• Short, stocky varieties tend to be sturdy. For this reason, many double-flowering varieties that tend to be short are a good option for forcing.
• Early-season forcing: since greenhouse temperatures tend to be cooler and light levels are lower in the early season, varieties will develop more slowly and will have more time to elongate before flowering. For short varieties, we have observed longer stems when forced earlier in the season. If you are growing short varieties in your forcing program, you may achieve longer stem length by growing them earlier in the season rather than later.
• Later-season forcing: warmer greenhouse temperatures and higher light levels will promote faster growth and flowering the later you go into the season.

If forcing the same variety at different times in the season, be aware that stem lengths may differ and varieties that tend to be short may be even shorter when forced late in the season, as warmer temperatures may hasten flower development and provide less time for stem elongation. If you are growing very short varieties in your forcing program, they may be more likely to have acceptable stem lengths if forced earlier in the season rather than later, when cool temperatures slow flowering.

Variety Notes and Recommendations

While any variety can be forced to bloom earlier, some classes of tulips and varieties are better suited for forced cut-flower production. You will likely need to do your own research to develop a program of varieties that suits your growing environment and your markets.

Johnny's 2023 Forced Tulip Trial Results
Variety	Class	Chilling Weeks Required	Field Notes
Akebono	Darwin Hybrid	16	Very long thin stems. Necks tend to snap and droop, more so than in field plantings.
Apeldoorn's Elite	Darwin Hybrid	19	Shorter and smaller compared to the Impression Series but otherwise performance consistent with variety description.
Apricot Impression	Darwin Hybrid	15	Uniform, tall, vigorous. Large leaves make harvesting and processing more time-consuming but otherwise good performance.
Pink Impression	Darwin Hybrid	15	Uniform, tall, vigorous. Large leaves make harvesting and processing more time-consuming but otherwise good performance.
Red Impression	Darwin Hybrid	15	Uniform, tall, vigorous. Large leaves make harvesting and processing more time-consuming but otherwise good performance.
World's Favorite	Darwin Hybrid	16	Excellent color and bloom quality on thin stems. While stems tend to be thinner than the Impression Series, they are sturdier than Akebono.
Charming Beauty	Double	18	Excellent stem and bloom quality. Stems tend to be shorter when forced later in the season.
Gudoshnik Double	Double	15	Tall stems, healthy plants, fully double blooms but necks are weak and not able to fully support the large blooms. Better performance in field plantings.
Marie Jo	Double	15	Flowers on short but uniform stems with good bloom quality.
Margarita	Double Early	14	Excellent color, bloom and stem quality.
Verona	Double Early	16	Versatile color for late winter and early spring. Good stem and bloom quality. Excellent overall performance, although stems are a little short especially in later successions.
Crème Upstar	Double Late	17	Beautiful color and sturdy stems. Flowered faster and on shorter stems in later successions. Yielded tallest stems in early successions.
Dream Touch	Double Late	17	Straight stems are easy to clean. Excellent overall. Best performance in earlier successions—flowers faster and on shorter stems in later plantings.
Drumline	Double Late	18	Tall, clean stems, minimal foliage, uniform bloom time. Overall excellent quality.
Finola	Double Late	17	Overall a strong variety. Good height, sturdy stems, good bloom quality, uniform development. Slightly shorter stems in later succession.
Miranda	Double Late	20	Requires long chilling time and performace is variable. Slow to flower and not as uniform or reliable performance as field planting.
Queensday	Double Late	17	Full double blooms. Thick stems. Excessive foliage—large leaves take more time to process. Great color and uniform stand. Flowers faster in later successions.
Sunlover	Double Late	15	Slow to elongate and flower. Tall stems are not strong enough to support heavy double flowers. Performed better for us in field plantings.
Amazing Parrot	Parrot	18	Stunning color. Sturdy stems. Necks may have a tendency to snap.
Apricot Parrot	Parrot	16	Excellent quality. Large blooms. Long stems are easy to clean. Stems are long and clean and not as sturdy and stiff as varieties like Verona or Finola.
Astronaut Andre Kuipers	Parrot	17	Highly uniform, sturdy stems, easy to harvest and clean.
Mysterious Parrot	Parrot	16	Excellent quality. One of the best parrots for stem quality—thick stems don't droop and support flowers well.
Parrot King	Parrot	16	Stunning color. Uniform blooms are good quality. Long stems are thin and may have a tendency to droop.
Rasta Parrot	Parrot	17	Stems are short but are also very sturdy, straight and easy to harvest and clean. Blooms are consistent with field quality—not exceptionally full but striking colors. Shorter stems in later succession.
Super Parrot	Parrot	16	Large, full blooms on weak stems that tend to snap/droop and are difficult to handle. Shorter stems in later succession.
Dordogne	Single Late	18	Tall and slow to mature, with stems that tend to bend as blooms mature.
Menton	Single Late	16	Tall and slow to mature. Gorgeous color, very tall. Necks tend to snap very easily after harvesting.
Queen of the Night	Single Late	17	Slow to mature. Dramatic color, unique bloom shape, thin stems.
Silver Cloud	Triumph	17	Stunning color, especially on developing buds. Elegant streamlined shape. Streamlined leaves also extend around bud and give some attractive contrast. Stems are thin and blooms are small but color is stunning and bloom shape is unique, adding interest to mixed bunches.

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Notes on Tulip Classes

Download our spreadsheet calculator (XLSX) to determine chilling weeks and estimated bloom dates by tulip variety.

Tulip varieties for forcing can be found in all of the more well-known classes of tulips—Single Early, Double Early, Triumph, Darwin Hybrids, Parrots, Lily-flowering, Single-Late and Double-Late classes.

Darwin Hybrid Tulips

Darwin Hybrid tulips are generally tall and early, with good plant vigor. While these varieties are strong performers in the field, their long stems can have a tendency to be weak in a forced environment, so it is worth doing your own trialing of Darwin hybrids varieties.

• The Impression varieties have forced well in our trials, although plants do produce abundant vegetation which can slow down processing of cut stems.

Single Early Tulips

These classic single-flowering bulbs tend to be earlier to flower and are often selected for forcing early in the season.

Triumph Tulips

Triumph tulips are another class that is common for forcing. Triumph tulips are available in a wide range of colors and are primarily single-flowering. Triumph tulips offer more compact plant than the Darwin Hybrids, but are still taller compared to many double-flowering varieties.

A diversity of tulip varieties at our Research Farm.

Double-Flowering Tulips

Both early and late-flowering double flowering tulip varieties often tend to be on the shorter side but offer a beautiful range of unique colors and flower forms. While stems can be short, they tend to be sturdy making harvesting and processing easier. Some varieties that have performed well in our trials are:

• Margarita
• Finola
• Verona
• Marie Jo
• Dream Touch
• Drumline
• Crème Upstar
• Charming Beauty

Parrot Tulips

Forced Parrot tulips.

Parrots are a diverse class of tulips that offers fancy blooms in stunning color combinations. Characterized by their scalloped and ruffled petal edges, Parrot tulip varieties vary widely in flowering time, stem quality and color. Some of the strongest performers in our trials are:

• Rococo
• Rasta Parrot
• Mysterious Parrot

See our Forced Tulip Trial Results chart, above for more detailed information on other parrot tulip varieties.

Single Late

Also known as ‘French Tulips’ these single-flowering varieties tend to flower later in the season and on taller stems. Growers should trial their own favorite varieties.

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References

• Hertogh, A. D. (1996). Holland Bulb Forcer's Guide. Hillegom, The Netherlands: The International Flower Bulb Centre.
• International Flower Bulb Centre. (2022). The Forcing of Tulips: Forcing methods for cut flower production and for pot plant production.
• Miller, D. W. (2010, November). A Review of Procedures for Forcing High Quality Rooting Room Bulbs. Retrieved from Research Newsletter: http://hort.cornell.edu/bulb/newsletter/pdfs/25-201011.pdf

Learn More

• Introduction to Forcing Flower Bulbs In Soil
• Forcing Tulip Bulbs