In common with a number of other bloggers (including Peonies and Posies, My Hesperides Garden, The Blooming Garden and Owl House Flowers) I thought I’d share a post about this year’s tulips.
And this year, my tulips have been a complete revelation. Always afraid the bulbs would get eaten, or I’d get stuck with dying foliage for EVER, I’ve tiptoed around tulips, planting a few in pots but very few directly in the flower beds.
Well this year I went for it, planting three varieties in the Swing Beds and have enjoyed them enormously for well over a month. Above and below, the rather large and blowsy T Pink Impression. Sadly these didn’t last that long due to strong wind in the latter part of April, but boy did they make their mark.
Interestingly, the same variety was used at Arundel Castle in their pots:
To follow on from T Pink Impression I’d planted T Mistress and T Menton. These were much softer and more delicate in colour and have lasted really well. The rather more peachy one is Menton.
In the Grass Bed I have T Spring Green returning, which was planted in 2013 and does seem to be quite perennial.
As the new MId Century and Bronze beds weren’t created until this spring, neither had any spring bulbs planted. However, I did buy a few pots of Prinses Irene to pop into the Bronze Bed. I didn’t separate the bulbs out when I planted (you can see they look rather ‘clumped’) but what I don’t understand is why they’re so short. According to Peter Nyssen, where I buy my bulbs, they should be 35cm, but these ones were only about half that and looked rather stunted. Perhaps the Prinses didn’t like being squashed in a pot?
Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be selecting her again, but I’m very much looking forward to chosing tulips for both new beds for 2016.
As in previous years I also grew a number of tulips in pots. Last year I grew the lovely pink, peony flowered T Angelique in the greenhouse pots and absolutely loved it, but this year I thought I’d try something different, and planted T Orange Angelique, together with this lovely Narcissus, N Bellsong.
Although most of the tulips had this beautiful soft peach colour, to be honest some were rather more yellow (see the one at the right hand edge of the photo) and so didn’t work as I’d intended. Also, they didn’t last nearly as long as I remember the T Angelique lasting, so I don’t think I’ll be growing T Orange Angelique again. Does anyone have any suggestions of another tulip to pair with this Narcissus?
In the tin bath by the front steps I grew the very jolly T Merry go round. I loved the size, shape and colour of this tulip, and it looked so cheerful to come home to. Unfortunately these didn’t last that long but I think that was down to a lack of water – they bloomed early and caught the lovely April weather and I think the whole bath got hot and dry while we were away on holiday.
Tulips I’ve enjoyed away from my garden include T White Triumphator and T Ballerina, 
(I think) T Mistress, and T Paul Scherer, (not sure about the dark red one)
and T White Triumphator, all at Arundel Castle.
And lastly, Tulip Queen of the Night at Common Farm Flowers. I just love the colour and the ‘bloom’ on the petals of this tulip. I’d love to grow these next year but am still considering where to plant them so that they can be seen. One of the disadvantages of my lovely hedges is that dark blooms don’t tend to show up, and it would be a crime to miss these beauties!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my review, and would love to hear any of your thoughts for tulips for my two new beds – think ‘bronze’ or ‘bruised’ or both!
Duver Diary 
Thank you for the link, I think Prinses Irene does become shorter after the first year; mine have been in the ground about four years and those that have returned are split into 2 or 3 flowers per original bulb and are very short, about the same as yours. For your bronze beds I would of course recommend T. Brown Sugar but I think Peter Nyssen will sell out this year as so many of my readers have said they want to have it for this autumn!
Oh my goodness – you’re going to be like Delia and the cranberries! (Hope you were still in the UK in the 90s so you what I’m talking about)
Yes, I was, we came to Italy in 2003. There were limes too, if I remember rightly!
What a beautiful display both in your garden and elsewhere….I do love these bulbs and all their colors.
Thank you for the link and I am glad that you have been bitten by the tulip bug! Your photos are lovely and show how good tulips look planted en mass in garden beds. T. Pink Impression was stunning and I love those Queen of the Night at Common Farm Flowers. I am not sure that the flowering times work work perfectly, but the viridiflora T Artist might go well colourwise with N.Bellsong. I often find tulips flower earlier than predicted, particularly in pots.I have found that tulips grown closely together in small pots suffer height wise, although I never have this problem in large pots. I think that will be why Princes Irene was shorter than her usual 12 inches. I tried the peach T Orange Angelique this year and also found that some of the bulbs flowered yellow.
I particularly like these lily flowered ones like White Triumphator and Ballerina – must add more of those next year. And wouldn’t it be lovely if we knew they were going to reappear next year too?