This has been such a glorious April and I have so enjoyed all my bulbs in the spring sunshine. Above, in the Grass Bed, are Tulip ‘Spring Green’ together with two different Narcissi. I had originally planted ‘Sinopel’, which is supposed to have a rather green eye, but I’d noticed last year they weren’t repeating well, so I topped them up with ‘Lieke’ which look quite similar. Here they are close up in the copper pot by the steps:
The tulips in the Swing Beds have been a revelation. I have never planted so many tulips directly in the ground, fearing marauders. Last year I planted a lot in pots, with the idea I would move them in and out of gaps in the bed, but it was all too much like hard work and I also wasn’t so keen on the tulips I’d selected anyway. This year I took my chances, planted them in the ground and (unlike the dratted crocuses) all have been left well alone. Hurrah!
When I posted my Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day post on the 15th, I included a picture of the tulips below and said I thought they were Tulip ‘Mistress’ as they were my ‘Earlies’. However, I wasn’t convinced, and so yesterday asked the very helpful and knowledgeable Karen at Peter Nyssen (where I’d bought the bulbs from), and she set me straight. These ones are actually the ‘mids’ ‘Pink Impression.’
Although they were glorious, they didn’t last long as sadly the very windy weather mid month blew their large, blowsy blooms to bits.
However, in a fit of mad extravagance, I had planted two further tulips – ‘Mistress’ and ‘Menton.’ And although ‘Mistress’ was supposed to flower in April, and ‘Menton’ in May, they’re actually working better together than I think either would have with the ‘Pink Impressions’ and I’m just loving their sugared almond girliness.
Furthermore, my new Peter Nyssen contact has assured me that both the ‘Pink Impressions’ and the ‘Mentons’ are reliably perennial (up to 5 years or so) as long as you plant them deeply enough, and dead head and feed with a high potash feed as soon as they’ve finished flowering.
I do hope this is the case as it wasn’t a trivial outlay and it would be great if I only had to replace the ‘Mistresses.’ (I’m sure there’s a joke there somewhere…)
The two new beds and the Shady Bed were shown in Sunday’s Resolve and Realise post but I will add a close up of the Bronze Bed not shown previously, showing the Tulip ‘Prinses Irene’ (bought in pots which I assume is why they’re so short), the Libertia and one of the new buds on the Calendula ‘Sunset Buff’.
The hostas are just starting to emerge in the (aptly named) Hosta Bed. You can see the OH has been out with the blue pellets while my back was turned. Sigh.
The Drive Bed isn’t looking too exciting at the moment, with few daffodils and some rather leggy Erysimum Ivory Giant, but if you look closely, as a result of more extravagance with Peter Nyssen, there are dozens of Allium buds just waiting for their moment. If I’m lucky, it will coincide with the Snow Goose rose flowering above. We’ll see!
And to finish, my rather paltry showing of Fritillaria Meliagris, but I do love them.
I honestly believe there are more than last year, and on that basis I think I’ll continue my quest for lawn domination. Hey, for less than £25 I can buy another 200 bulbs. That’s got to make sense. Or is it just me?
With many thanks to Helen at the Patient Gardener for hosting everyone’s End of Month Views.