OK, so I know I am a bit obsessed with tulips; but when a flower has so many different colours to choose from, and the different varieties flower over such a long period AND you can control their flowering to some extent I don’t think my obsession is so hard to understand.
To begin, here is last week’s vase.
Last week’s vase 13th February
Only one of T. Design Impression remains and that was added later
While T. Design Impression is a very beautiful tulip with a beautiful silky sheen it wasn’t a very successful cut flower. The stems were long but weak and they continued to bend their heads even after being conditioned by being wrapped in newspaper and being placed in water up to their heads for 24 hours. I will let you know how those planted into the garden compare.
T. Double Negrita opened fully to reveal its white throat.
Double Negrita performed much better, which doesn’t surprise me as the single Negrita is one of the longest flowering in the garden and the best for returning year on year.
I have had a little vase with odd tulips and narcissus that have not flowered with the others in their pots in the kitchen all week, changing the flowers as their deteriorated.
a mix of tulips
Larkspur
Today’s vase has two new tulips.
In a vase on Monday 20th February
Lonicera fragrantissima
Lonicera fragrantissima has been filling the garden with perfume since the beginning of January, this is the first time I’ve picked some to bring inside. It is my favourite flower perfume of all.
Tulip Mount Tacoma
This is the second year I’ve grown Mount Tacoma; these were planted into pots on 16th November after being chilled for 10 weeks.
Tulip La Belle Epoque
I haven’t grown La Belle Epoque before but from first appearances I’m pleased I have. The stems were long and strong and the initial colour is a beautiful two tone shade of peach with varying degrees of green flaming. It was planted on the 12th December.
Teucrium
Tulip La Belle Epoque with Teucrium and Tulip Mount Tacoma
With my thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this addictive meme. Do visit her to see masses of other vases to fill you with joy on Monday.
Wednesday is Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day here at My Hesperides Garden where I ask you to appreciate your foliage rather than your blooms. I look forward to seeing your posts.
I love reading your tulip posts at this time of year, the range you grow and your expertise is stunning. Please keeping them coming Christina.
Thank you Kate; although I’m not sure about the expertise, I just keep trying new things and noting what happens; I’ve learnt a huge amount in the last couple of years but as with all gardening there is always more to learn.
My tulips have some way to go but you definitely will see them later in the year. actually it is so unseasonably warm here it may be sooner than I think!
Tulip flowering time depends as much on how long the chill season is as on how warm it is.
Glorious tulips for a misty morning here. La Belle Epoque is a discovery, a beautiful colour combination.
La Belle Epoque is lovely, it will be interesting to see how it (I want to say ‘she’) progresses.
Have to agree, La Belle Epoque is lovely and such a dreamy colour and agree with Kate too as this is one of many nice things about blogging, sharing experiences and reading others with more experience. How lovely that you have Larkspur in flower, I can’t imagine that for sometime here, despite a rocket in temps to 16c today, back down to UK chill by the weekend though.
The Larkspur seeded in the garden last October. I couldn’t imagine they would survive winter (I was wrong) so I lifted some and potted them up in the greenhouse. They are now in the cold frame just beginning to flower. I doubt they will get inti the ground!
A marvelous combination of form and color. Keep those tulips coming as long as you can.
I sure will John, although I hate to pick those growing in the ground. But maybe just a few.
I hoped to see more of your tulips today and am enjoying your obsession, they are all lovely and it is so nice to see Larkspur with tulips again.
Happy to oblige, I’m sure there will be many more.
You are really whetting my appetite for my own tulips, Christina, but they are many weeks off yet, including those in the greenhouse – I will just have to enjoy yours in the meantime so keep them coming! I really like La Belle Epoque too – it’s good to be able to see different varieties that we might choose to grow in the future. Wonderful to see Larkspur in February!
Yes, I see new varieties on other sites; I think Julie at Peonies and Posies showed La Belle Epoque last year. As to the Larkspur, see my reply to Julie below. If you chilled your tulips you could probably have them flowering earlier.
There wouldn’t have been room in my fridge for all the tulips! Actually some of the potted ones were put in the fridge for a few weeks which probably means they will flower at exactly the same time as the ones planted a few weeks earlier 🙂
Christina her vase from last week is beautiful: the Tulip Print Design that she has added is divine. Your vase this week is wonderful. I imagine the intense perfume that will give the Lonicera fragantissima. The Tulip “La Belle Epoque” has a very beautiful color: in a variety to remember and to plant. Thank you for your beautiful bouquets. Greetings from Margarita.
Thank you Margarita. How did your appointment go on Friday?
Many thanks, Christina. The MRI test was a bit painful, but it went very well. On the 27th I see the doctor with the results and see what he says. Thank you again. Greetings from Margarita.
No apologies are necessary for your obsession with your tulips – I’m more than a little obsessed with your tulips myself! How I wish I could grow them reliably here. Our local nurseries have taken to selling 6-packs of sprouted tulips. I’ve bought these before to give myself a little tulip fix but, of course, they aren’t exotic varieties and we still face challenges with dry winds and flash heatwaves. With all the rain we’ve had, they might have been a better bet this year but I lost that opportunity so I’ll just enjoy yours!
I can’t remember which tulips I planted last fall but they’re just starting to peek out of the ground, some in places where the squirrels decided to replant them (argh!) Yours are stunning. La Belle Epoque is certainly a sweet color and Mt. Tacoma has an almost magnolia-like appearance. Since I live in Tacoma, perhaps I’ll grow that one next season.
You’re right about Mount Tacoma looking like a Magnolia, I hadn’t thought about it before.
Pots of tulips at the entrance to our deck were the stars of the show last year. I did nothing with them over the winter and they seem to be coming along. That surprises me but now I’m hoping for at least a few blooms this second year. Nothing like your bounty though.
They should flower for a second year, your winter has been cold enough.
La belle epoch is a scrumptious colour, I don’t blame you at all for being obsessed with tulips, it’s entirely understandable. I love the lonicera too and am delighted to have my first ever plant flowering.
My Lonicera has been outstanding this year, I think it liked our early cold winter; its perfume wafts on the air on the warm still days. I hope yours grows well for you.
Lovely to see your beautiful tulips Christina – all the better for being so early. I think I need to squeeze an extra fridge in somewhere if I am going to chill some tulips in the autumn as our kitchen fridge is always overflowing. La Belle Epoque was my joint favourite with Charming Lady last year. I have planted a few new varieties this year so I am waiting to see what steals my heart this April – till then I will enjoy yours!
I have an empty fridge in our property in town so the tulips were there (filling it, I have to admit). I’m hoping to have an outside kitchen built here so then the fridge for that can be for seeds and bulbs when it isn’t summer. I saw your lovely La Belle Epoque and Charming Lady last year which was why I ordered them, I’m not disappointed.
I totally understand your tulip obsession, Christina. They’re beautiful, and the older ones do look like silk – so lovely.
I think that often tulips look like satin when they are freshly opened and silk as they fade and when they have more than one colour it looks like shot silk.
Beautiful analogy. 🙂
I love both of those tulips Christina, especially the white one as it opens out so nicely.
Yes, you’re right Mount Tacoma opens in a most delightful way, I must take some more photographs as it ages.
So many lovely varieties of tulips! I will definitely be stopping by this post again in a few months’ time when it’s time to buy bulbs. And lovely to see the larkspur- are these the self-seeded ones you potted up?
Yes, that’s right; I potted up the self seeded Larkspur and they have grown like Topsy! I’ll do a review of the tulips for cutting and in the garden a bit later on.
Such flamboyant creatures, Christina, and they die so beautifully too. I can understand your obsession very well and await mine with impatience. Rosemary is flowering here as well but larkspur, no way.
If you read my reply to Julie, you’ll understand the Larkspur.
Wonderful to see your tulips together with teucrium and winter honeysuckle. That won’t be happening here! I grew Belle Epoque last year in pots and was impressed with how long they lasted (more Moulin Rouge by the end though). It’s very instructive to see your previous vases as they go over. You seem to have a strong scientific bent.
Probably yes, science with an artist side too!
Of course … goes without saying!
I will be feasting my eyes on your tulips this spring Christina so please don’t apologise. With all that has been happening lately I did not get round to planting the bulbs I ordered last year 😦 ‘Mount Tacoma’ was the very first tulip I ever grew and I am most partial. It reminds me of a peony when fully blown. I grew ‘La Belle Epoque’ last year and if I remember I loved the shades of colour but was disappointed that the flowers did not all turn out double. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your beauties.
I’m glad I’ll be giving you some pleasure! I’ll let you know how La Belle Epoque continues, so far I’m loving the colour tones, only negative so far is that they didn’t all bloom at the same time, which if I wanted a big statement vase is what I would want. Having them over a longer time is a plus too though.
Belle Époque is lovely! I am just starting to look at bulb catalogues and think about fridge space. 🙂
I’d recommend La Belle Epoque as it is lasting well in the vase and it looks delicate but isn’t. I’ll show it again as it fades so you can see how you like it then.
I don’t have any white Tulips, but I really like ‘Mt. Tacoma’.
I would recommend it highly.