Even the flowers themselves aren’t properly developing, and are dying off before they’ve fully opened. Is this the dreaded tulip fire disease, do you think? Claire, Co GalwayI’m afraid that you’re almost certainly correct in suspecting tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae), a very destructive fungal disease that has unfortunately become common in Irish gardens in recent years. A wet spring exacerbates the symptoms, allowing the disease to hop easily from plant to plant. Planting the bulbs closely together, as is so very often done with tulip bulbs to create impact, also encourages its spread.

Source: The Irish Times April 05, 2026 14:31 UTC