The bulb catalogues have now all arrived so I have that "sweetie shop" time of choosing what I want for next spring. The problem is avoiding buying everything - I need to get a good spread of colours and flowering times and a mix of established favourites and new varieties.
It is important that I get the order in in the next week or so as otherwise varieties are often out of stock in the quality of bulb I want.
The job is made even more interesting this year as I have offered to provide the flowers for the Think Pink Ball which is at Oran Mor in Glasgow's Byers Road on 25th April 2008.
My favourite amongst the paintings that Christine McArthur did of my flowers last year was of a large bunch of pink tulips - each one a different shape and colour. My aim for the Think Pink flowers is to have spiralled bunches of as many pink varieties of tulips that I can get to flower at that time. I have marked up 25 varieties in my catalogues ranging from the elegant lily flowered "Mariette" to the bouffant peony tulip "Angelique".
As to non pink varieties - well I still have to decide. What is everyone's favourite tulip?
10 comments:
I can't arrange flowers to save my life so am full of admiration for you - I'm not much good at growing them either, although I love seeing them. The tutorial looks great .. will have a go but I warn you I'll probably make a fist of it!
I love the one you've already mentioned, Angelique. I really like the combination of pink with the green of its foliage. Pots and pots of it would be perfect for me.
Kim x
Lovely time catching up on your blogs, Jane. The filming sounded terrifying! xx
I am not a big tulip fan...but the parrot ones are very nice. It's the plain fat ones with four-five petals I can't stand.
I love Carnival de nice , Angelique and Spring green. I enjoyed going to the art gallery and seeing the flower paintings , thanks for the link , and to see other artists work. Your beautiful flowers are a great subject for painting.
Chrish - I'm sure you will do fine - if you don't have florists tape then sellotape will do to make a grid.
Kim - Angelique is lovely isn't it - it is quite short so works well in pots - I saw it at Giverny flowering with pale blue forget-me-not and it looked stuning.
Pipany - the build up was terrifying - I hate having my photo taken but when I got there it was very relaxed
Pg - I know what you mean about those stumpy brighty coloured tulips - not the same thing at all.
Milly - I love it that artists buy my flowers to paint - there are several that come here regularly and it is interesting that their styles are quite different. One woman came to buy a tulip with bulb attached to paint for the RHS.
J
x
I have a proble with some tulips coming back year after year, even if I make sure they are planted deep. Some do others don't, or come back but aren't as good. Any ideas ? Thanks -Love JULIA X
Not sure perhaps Queen of the night(i think that is the name of the deep purple one I used to have) but in a vase I always find bright yellows nice and cheery.
Know what you mean about the hols I really can't wait for my lot to break up. No strict bedtime means you can take advantage of the occasional beautiful evenings we get to eat late outside and no hurly burly helter skelter morning time.
I have noticed Milly's comment I do wish she would use blogger as I really miss her blogs.
Julia - unfortunately there seems to be no magic formula for tulips returning - I used to keep the bulbs but then got tulip fire, a nasty fungal disease so now I pull the bulbs when I pick the flowers.
This decision was made much easier because they were useless at reblooming and therefore not pulling their weight in the garden.
That said, I have found Spring green to be more perennial than most. You can also be lucky and find a spot that they like - I have a patch in my old garden that is now 11 years old and still comes back regularly.
J
x
love the tulips!
Alison x
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