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Hybridization
Terms used in hybridization are cultivars, botanicals or species, and sports. Cultivars are the types of flowers that have already been created by hybriders, Species are the flower varieties as they are found in nature. Sports are natural mutations that happen by chance. All the well-loved double-flowering tulip varieties of today are sports.
The hybrider must be very careful when cultivating the flowers so that there will be no accidental pollination so the mated flowers are protected by bits of foil in the green house. After the flowers have bloomed, they are allowed to die and go to seed. This is not the case with tulips grown in bulb fields. Blossoms are cut off in their prime to concentrate the energy on developing a stronger bulb. The seeds are harvested, cataloged And then planted under organized forms. The plants that grow up the first spring will not look like tulips growing in gardens. Instead of a full-blown flower they will be just tiny plants. This is because flowers grown from the mature bulbs have been surrounded with nourishment and moisture in order to perpetuate themselves. This is an evolutionary trick that dates from the time when tulips were only growing in the arid steppes of the eastern Mediterranean region. The small plants come from seeds, not bulbs, and are, therefore, different. They need much attention and care, such as replanting, during the following years until the first blossoms appear. It can take more than five years before the hybrider finally finds out if the flower has the intended shape or target colour;: a lot of patience is needed. If the shape or colour is wrong, the hybrider starts over. When the hybrider is lucky the final product can be on the market in a few years.
At the moment, the most popular area of research is in the area of the scents of bulb flowers. The tulip is currently better known for its bright colours than for its scent. There are, however, several Double Early Tulips that have a nice scent, almost like honey.
Of course, you have to be careful when experimenting with the genes so that the original genes do not get lost in the process. To help preserve the gene pool for future hybriders, the Dutch flower bulb industry subsidizes the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen. This is a living museum of bulb flowers with flower fields that include varieties that, for one reason or another, are no longer commercially cultivated. Some are cultivars from 1595, Carolus Clusius’s original hybrids. Other varieties are from as recently as 1963.
