But then again there is too much to say; too many impressions to not, so no this isn’t Wordless Wednesday, it’s tulip Wednesday!
As readers of this blog for more than just the last few months will know I love Tulips. I plant some most years and I am rewarded in spring by other groups planted in previous years, making their appearance again. I avidly read about everyone else’s tulips too, making a note of the ones I think will enhance the garden.
I often choose early varieties because the late ones flower at the same time as the roses and that seems strange to me. This year, with the mild winter the tulips are earlier than ever before, so let’s look at what are flowering now. I’ll try to give names and which year they were planted.
Tulip Brown Sugar planted autumn 2010
T. Abu Hassam one of the most reliable tulips
T. Abu Hassan – planted autumn 2010
This bumble bee was attacted by the perfume of Abu Hassan
T. Cape Cod in the Small Island
I’m not sure which variety this is, it could be Inzell, Hakuun or Daytona
T. Double Dazzle in the Large Island
T. Double Dazzle planted autumn 2010
T. Double Dazzle
T. Purple Dream planted autumn 2013
T. Negrita the first ones planted in 2009 with more added in 2012
There are T. Negrita planted is the Circular Rose bed, The Large Island and The Upper Drive Border, again this is one of the most reliable tulips, many of mine have split so that although the flowers are slightly small there are now 3 flowers where there was only one bulb.
In the new Spring Walk I planted 100 mixed Single late. So I don’t know what colours or even what forms will flower next to each other but that’s the effect I wanted to create; the blur of colour that is spring, not that it feels very spring like today!
Some of the tulips are just beginning to open in the spring walk
I think the Large Island looks at its best at this time (well the side facing the house does) with Phlomis, Euphorbia rigida, Eschscholzia californica ‘Thai Silk’ and T. Double Dazzle.
The colourful Large Island
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Well I am speechless at the purple dreams!!!!!!
They are quite tall and very elegant, plus they’re early for a lily flowered tulip.
Your tulips are wonderful. I especially like ‘Brown Sugar’. I keep planting tulips, but their beds soon begin to be shaded out. Between that and the gophers, my success rate has not been great. Now I know where to come for a tulip hit,
Thank you, have you tried growing tulips in pots and just treating them as an annual, then you could put them wherever you want?
The tulips look so good with the Euphorbia, this is a plant I am just learning to appreciate.
and the bees love it!
Lovely, lovely, lovely! I do like your purple shades, but then I love Abu Hassan. Tulips certainly bring colour to a dull day.
I think I like (love) tulips for the same reason I like the Anemone coronaria, it is the saturation of the colours which are particulary powerful on a grey day.
I think I have Purple Dream too – love that colour. They are so early though… wonder if mine will be early too. The Euphorbia goes beautifully with Abu Hassan.
Last year the Purple dream were flowering by the end of the first week of April so this year they are about two and a half weeks early! That’s quite a lot because other years when I’ve thought a certain tulips was earlier or later than other years, when I’ve checked with my photographs I’ve been amazed that they’ve flowered on the same day!
Beautiful and so lovely in the ground surrounded by other plants and especially the grasses, I really like the Negrita and Purple Dream.
When I lived in England and my tulips didn’t reliably flower for more than one year I grew them in pots; easier to plant etc. I’m very lucky that here with the summer drought most (but not all) return each year.
Our tulips are a ways off, but yours are making up for that. Love ‘Cape Cod’ and ‘Brown Sugar’!
Brown Sugar also fades and dies beautifully, I wrote about them last year. Cape Cod are new to me and actually look quite similar!
How lovely to see all your tulips, Christina – and wonderful that most of them will come back year after year. Again I am with Pauline in loving the purple shades but being sidetracked by Abu Hassan!
Haven’t tried tulips in a long time but you have me rethinking that, perhaps in pots next year as you suggest. Love that rich view of your Large Island.
I’m very pleased with how that looks.
Beautiful tulips, Christina. They make me long for our (much smaller collection) to start flowering!
It may be smaller but you usually have some rather choice selections
I love tulips too Christina and I am so jealous that you have so many out. Mine are probably a week or two behind, although I am hopeful one or two varieties will bloom this weekend. Yours look stunning – I am looking forward to lots more photos over the next month. I will be making notes for my tulip order in September.
I’m sure I’ll be posting more about the tulips and I make my lists after reading and seeing tulips on other blogs and often at Chelsea, but blogs are a more reliable source for how well they actually ‘do’ in the garden.
Beautiful. I’m going to keep an eye out for Abu Hassan, it’s not a color I would normally pick, but it has a real richness to it. Negrita is good for me here in Pennsylvania too, it must be quite adaptable since our climates are so far apart! I never get tired of looking at tulips 🙂
Tulips tolerate a wide range of conditions what they don’t like is warm winters and wet summers! Abu Hassan is one of the most reliable tulips plus its scented, what more could you ask?
I’m very jealous of your tulips, especially ‘Double Dazzle’ and ‘Purple Dream.’ Our climates may be similar in some respects but my area of SoCal does not support tulips, with the possible exception of a few of the species types. I’ve tried growing them as annuals but, in addition to the expense of doing that, inevitably our Santa Ana winds hit and wipe everything out overnight just as the bulbs are preparing to bloom. This year, I broke down and purchased some pre-sprouted tulips from a nursery, which lasted 3 days – I would have done better buying cut tulips for a vase in the house.
You have a true Mediterranean climate where as I (even being on 40 miles from the coast) don’t; we have much colder winters and tulips need that cold spell; something like 6 weeks of less than 15° C; I was worried that this year the tulips wouldn’t be so good as it has been so mild but we must have had the required amount of cold – we’re certainly having it now.
Lovely tulips and great that they keep flowering. I have had some success leaving bulbs in especially one’s bought in Holland, but it is always a risk as space is valuable. I have also got some in pots this year and am looking forward to seeing how they do. They are a great plant and you have some lovely combinations
Thank you Annette, I love tulips in pots, and if you have to lift them anyway it is the easist way.