Tulipa 2025

In late 2021, Jarnie decided to focus her practice on a new series of works for the Royal Horticultural Society. After being inspired by a particularly tall and elegant tulip on the Bayntun Flowers Instagram page of Polly Nicholson Jarnie began research on the species tulip varieties. Blending her love of structural elements with beauty and grace, Jarnie chose six species varieties and grew them from sourced bulbs from suppliers Peter Nyssen and Farmer Gracy.

During her preparations in March 2023, Jarnie’s home suffered from a severe flood. On the verge of having to leave both the house and the tulips she had been cultivating, Jarnie noticed how the buds were already forming. A phrase which came to mind was, ‘there is a promise of pearls’. From that moment the project became a story of resilience, perseverance and the conquering of the unknown.

The series of six species tulips are presented in a traditional herbarium style. This was specifically chosen by Jarnie to evoke both the tradition and challenges met by the early expeditions of discovery. For these precious collections, specimens are both carefully pressed and illustrated to inform accurate identification, and preserve their physical record. With the Tulipa collection focusing on historical and wild species, further underpinned by the challenge of the undertaking, the herbarium is a beautifully fitting archive style for an RHS exhibit. Jarnie referred to the pieces with a working title of ‘Tulipa Herbarium’ during the painting of the series.

In the summer of 2025 the suite of six paintings, ‘Tulipa: Species and Botanical Class Tulips’ featured in the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. For her endeavour Jarnie was awarded a prestigious RHS Gold Medal.

All pieces within the collection are available for purchase. For further information, please request the catalogue below.