Tulips and daffodils! They are so….so…..Spring-y! That sounds lame but how else can I describe the way they make me feel? They represent warm weather and being able to garden after a cold, snowy winter. They look lovely paired with other spring flowers like Bleeding Hearts and Brunnera (above).
they are sensational on their own and massed.
I look through my old Garden Journals and I have planted lots of bulbs since 1991. I should have THOUSANDS but that is hardly the case. Early in my gardening career, many died and rotted in lower areas because I didn't realize that water would collect there. Tulips really only last 3-4 years because they are so highly hybridized these days but where are the rest? A gardening conundrum, that's for sure. Even the daffodils which should multiply in great numbers have not done so. Sigh…....
Oh well - let's enjoy the ones I have:
Estella Rijnfeld - the loveliest of parrot tulips and stunningly gorgeous as cut flowers in a vase
Apeldoorn - a classic old Dutch Darwin tulip in the brightest red
Pink Triumph: an interesting colour - a cross between pink and lilac
Used to have 10 or 12 of these but now only 3 are left: Lustige Witwe
I have two "black" tulips - above is Black Parrot…….
and the famous Queen of the Night
White Triumphator (which looks quite yellow in this photo but is actually white)
I am not averse to having orange in the garden (in small doses) - this is General de Wet
And now for a few of my favourite daffs. These babies (4" tall) are Hawera
Dainty, nodding Thalia
Pale-yellow centred Ice Follies
And my ULTIMATE favourite - Tahiti.
Please check my recipe blog - latest post is Strozzapreti with Spicy Italian Sausage, Broccoli and Garlic Crema