Old Flames: English Florists' Tulips

After the excess of 'tulipomania' in the 17th century, tulip growing became a popular activity across Britain. Standards for judging the flower by its shape and colours were developed and maintained by tulip societies, who grew and preserved the lineage of rare and precious bulbs through the generations.

Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society is the sole surviving tulip society in the UK, established 170 years ago to cultivate and show the English florists' tulip. The bulbs they grow and show are descended from those imported and cultivated in the mid 17th century.

The Bretton Estate, which provides the landscape context for the galleries at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, has a long tradition of plant cultivation. The landscape was mainly designed in the 18th century, during which time Diana Beaumont oversaw an extensive planting scheme that included exotic imports. Diana commissioned glasshouses, which were said to be the largest in Europe, and the Estate developed a reputation for producing a remarkable range of exotic plants.