“One of the most enchanting of the Cottage tribe,” the Scheepers catalog gushed in 1929. A true broken tulip, it opens with “the most lovely flushes and pencilings of pale to deeper yellow and pinkish lavender to rose” and then matures to a lace-like tracery of purple on white. Our friend Betsy Ginsburg was so enchanted she wrote a time-travelling detective story exploring how it got its name. Late, 16-18”, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

Historic? We’re not sure. Extraordinary? Yes! This true broken tulip was discovered at the Hortus Bulborum. It’s not clear whether it’s an heirloom whose label was lost or a newly-broken version of one of their other heirloom varieties, but it’s so stunning we couldn’t resist it. With deep, dark purple flames on creamy white petals, it’s a tulip that Tulipomaniacs of the 1630s would have given a fortune to own! Single Late, 16-20 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

The slender, flame-like shape of this lovely broken tulip is what sets it apart from all of its sisters. A Cottage tulip of “brilliant cherry rose flushed and striped with scarlet, violet, and white, very distinct,” according to Peter Henderson in 1907, it was introduced by the legendary house of Krelage in 1900. Aka ‘Maid of Holland’, Single Late, 14-18 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

Opening from dragon-mouthed buds that may remind you of the blood-thirsty plant in The Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Café Brun’s ruffled, jagged, over-caffeinated flowers are a deep gold intricately patterned with dusky-red. Though its name means “Brown Coffee” – that is, coffee with milk – it’s not really brown, just wild and cool. Be sure to look for its tiny horns and spurs. (For even older parrots, see ‘Amiral’, ‘Markgraaf’, and ‘Perfecta’.) Parrot, 12-14 inches, zones 5-7, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

Now all but extinct, this sturdy little rose and white tulip was a popular American sweetheart for many years. We first find it in the 1872 catalog of New York’s J.M. Thorburn, and it continued to be widely catalogued well into the 1920s, a reflection of its charm and excellence. Thanks to the Hortus Bulborum for saving it! Single Early, 10 inches, zones 4-7, from Holland. Chart to compare.

Rippling leaves edged with ribbons of gold make a stunning setting for the deep, wine-red blooms of ‘Variegated Purple Crown’. Its history is a bit of a mystery, but we’ve traced it back as far as Thomas Moore’s 1881 Epitome of Gardening, and in 1889 The Journal of Horticulture praised it as one of the best variegated tulips and “quite as handsome as variegated yuccas.” Its French name suggests that it originated in Flanders, a back-country part of the Netherlands famed for its expert gardeners and independent tastes. (Does that sound like you?) Single Early, 10-12”, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

This rare ‘Duke’ is “deliciously fragrant” (W.N. Craig, 1905), and its bold color pattern – evoking Renaissance pageantry and the shields of heraldry – is one of the most enduringly popular in all of tulip history. In fact, if we assembled gardeners from, say, 1650, 1750, and 1850 and asked them to choose whichever of our tulips they liked best, we’re sure ‘Duc de Berlin’ would rank in their Top Ten. Single Early, 8-10 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

If we had to choose a dozen landmark varieties to summarize the whole amazing history of tulips, this 400-year-old miniature would be one of them. Just 6 inches tall and extra early-blooming, ‘Red and Yellow’ is the grand-daddy of the ‘Duc van Tols’, a fabled clan of pixie tulips once grown in every garden and forced for Christmas bloom. In front of purple hyacinths, its tiny flames are stunning. Zones 4b-7, from the Hortus. Chart to compare.

With wisps and splashes of dark violet on creamy white, “Black Glory” is one of the very oldest surviving Bijbloemen tulips. Also known as ‘Violet Ponceau’ and ‘La Victorieuse’, it was first offered in 1837 by Voorhelm and Schneevogt, a fabled bulbhouse that had catered to wealthy bulb enthusiasts since the 17th century. 16-18 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

A brown tulip? You bet! And it’s fabulous. This is the original, Breeder form of ‘James Wild’ that’s more often seen in its broken, mahogany-on-gold Bizarre form. Though yours may break into feathers and flames someday, this anything-but-plain brown tulip needs no improvement. With shades of coffee, bronze, and amber, it’s already amazing! Single Late, 18-20 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.

Antique beyond its years, this quaint little ‘Rose Queen’ looks a lot like the tulips in Besler’s magnificent Hortus Eystettensis of 1613. Its graceful, flame-shaped petals shade from ruby to deep rose to a feathery edging of pink, and it seems to glow with all the energy of spring itself. Single Early, 10-12 inches, zones 4-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. Chart to compare.