A little help from the EDP helped Norfolk bulb grower Paul Payne retain his title as Britain's Tulip Champion!He faced tough opposition from growers across the country, especially northern England, at the latest competition at Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

A little help from the EDP helped Norfolk bulb grower Paul Payne retain his title as Britain's Tulip Champion!

He faced tough opposition from growers across the country, especially northern England, at the latest competition at Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Mr Payne, who grew daffoldils for more than 35 years until a fungal rot in the soil of his Postwich garden forced him to quit, switched to tulips five years ago. Last year, much to his great surprise, he won the British Tulip Championship.

Until a few days ago, he doubted whether he would have enough tulips to exhibit, but he decided to take a chance and cut them early.

He said: "Some of them had been in the fridge for a week. They were rolled in newspaper in the fridge and I used three sheets of the EDP for each bloom! I rolled them into what looks like an ice cream cone with a bit of tissue at the top, put an elastic band around and let them stand in water in the fridge."

To retain his title, he had to enter three vases, each of nine blooms of three varieties.

Another good friend, Colin Gilman, of Norwich, added to his trophy cabinet with the Royal Horticultural Society's Devonshire Trophy at Wisley.

He won the supreme national daffoldil title with 12 different cultivars of Haughty.