I hope you have had the same beautiful weather we have had the past few days; it has been lovely seeing the trees slowly turning green and watching the fruit tree blossom opening. The first house martins returned last week and I am hoping the others will follow soon – I just love listening to them chattering in their nests under the eaves of the house and trying in vain to count them all as they fly and swoop across the yard. We had four nests last year and each pair must have had at least two broods. I wonder if they will all come back our way…
After a week in the UK and a bit of time off I am happy to be joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden again today for her Monday meme… with these beautiful tulips and some other spring flowers.
It was almost impossible to find somewhere for photos today as the wind has been extreme and relentless. Yet the tulips are still standing, some a little battered but I do admire their resilience!
The purple one on the left is Purple Dream – an old favourite which I intend to combine with lime green Euphorbia and red Heuchera next year after having seen a similar combination at Coton Manor Gardens in the UK last week. The orange one in the middle is Ballerina, which is a very popular one here, and the yellow one is one I have grown in my previous garden and love, both for its brilliant colour and its delicate shape – West Point. The pinched in ‘waist’ is more pronounced than Ballerina.
The smaller vase contains a small Purple Dream tulip, tulip Lilac Wonder, one pink and one red Bellis, some Muscari, Veronica Big Blue, white and blue anemones and somewhere hiding is a wild chamomile flower already in bloom.
I am writing myself notes already for autumn bulbs for next year! My favourite tulip so far has been ‘Akebono’, which I unfortunately failed to photograph – a pale creamy yellow with frilly petals which develop a slight peachy pink hue at the base. What is your favourite tulip? And if you are a fan of tulips you must take a look at Ali’s latest post at The Mindful Gardener. Her photos are just gorgeous.
Thanks for visiting!
xxx
Words and Herbs 
I enjoyed your tulips, as I cannot grow them. I hope you get lots of baby birds.
Thank you! Yes, we have redstarts and wagtails already nesting in the garage and barn too!
Beautiful, brightly-colored tulips and lily-flowering ones are so regal looking. I once grew T. ‘West Point’ but it didn’t return the following year. 😦 I grew T. ‘Akebono’ last year and loved it. Fingers crossed they come back. T. ‘Lilac Wonder’ is a pretty one I’d like to try. Have a great week ahead!
Lilac Wonder really is amazing…. I thought they weren’t going to show and then suddenly they were there and within a few days the buds were showing! My Akebono are in pots, so were a little earlier than in the ground. 🙂
I love the shape of your bigger tulips, Cathy – so stylish – and it’s good to see that butterfly vase again. Your little vase is pretty too and I am glad to have seen Lilac Wonder as it is not one I have grown and I want to add more species tulips next year. Thanks for sharing – and I hope the wind drops soon!
I have grown Lilac Wonder before and really love it. I had forgotten how late it appears though. The wind has been incredible the past few weeks, but Easter Sunday was windstill for once – a perfect ‘summer’ day in the low 20’s!
Glad to hear you have had at least one wind free day!
Yours are pretty fab too
Aaah, thanks Dorris! 😉
My favorite tulip is any one that survives to bloom in my garden 😉 I adore tulips but they’re not happy in coastal Southern California as, even if the bulbs are properly chilled in a refrigerator prior to planting, they usually get knocked out by heat or dry winds before they ever bloom. However, I enjoy seeing your crayon-box mix of tulips. It’s funny to hear that it’s currently warmer in your part of the world than it is in mine. I hope you get a break from the wind soon.
Hi Kris. Well, our weather has cooled down after getting as high as 28°C! The wind has dropped somewhat for now, and a little rain has fallen – we are grateful for every drop, as I am sure you understand. 🙂 Glad to share my tulips. They have mostly gone over now with that heat but some later ones have just opened which will no doubt appear in my next vase!
Love your tulips! So pretty, I have never lived far enough north to grow any. Without extreme effort. Though I have been inspired by all the chilling and potting this year.I need to pay attention in late summer and order some to chill and pot, fingers crossed all around. The weather here is phenomenal, I think summer arrives on Friday.
We had a taste of summer and are now back in what feels like March! I love growing and sharing my tulips – they are one of my favourite flowers and i wish they lasted longer!
What colors! Mouthwatering!
🙂 Yes, tutti frutti colours. 😉
Isn’t spring fun! Your flowers are so pretty. Enjoy all of the returning birds.
Thanks Lisa. 🙂 Several pairs of housemartins are now inspecting last year’s nests, so fingers crossed!
The tulips are a delight. Lilac Wonder is especially eye-catching. We’ve enjoyed listening to the birds the past few weeks. They’re so busy!
Hi Susie. The birdsong here has been lovely too. I should get up early enough for the dawn chorus one of these days… 😉
Glad to hear that the sun is shining in your part of the world too Cathy. Your tulips are beauties. I must sound like a record that’s repeating itself but I rarely have any joy with tulips and am most envious of those of you who can 😄 The combination you noted at Coton Manor sounds most eye-catching. I hope that you had a good holiday.
I have no idea what the secret to growing tulips is, or I would share it! 🙂 Lots of frost in winter, low rainfall, getting baked in summer? I do have to replant every two or three years though.
What is it about flowers that offers so much hope? The delicate shape, the colors, textures, smell? Or perhaps we know they are here for only a short period of time and our job is to enjoy every moment they are here. I guess we could do that for other things in our world as well, right? We all have a shelf life, right? Something for me to ponder after I go and water the garden. Thanks for a lovely post!
I think you are right about enjoying the moment. So many favourites are so fleeting and force me stop and admire them before the moment is gone. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the post Marge, and thanks for visiting! 🙂
Cathy I am glad that you have good weather and that the Spring has reached everything around you, including the birds that have returned to their nests last year. I hope you have enjoyed your vacation a lot. Cathy I love your tulips and the vase with butterflies. The small vase is lovely and I love all its flowers, but especially its tulips. I do not have a favorite tulip, I like so many … Thank you very much for the link to “The Mindful Gardener” is a wonderful photo of different and divine tulips. Here in Spain we have had bad weather and finally the longed for rains! that continue this week with snow. We return to Winter. Cathy Happy Easter, even if it’s late. Have a very good week and do gardening. Greetings and memories of Margarita.
Thank you Margarita. I hope it is warming up for you now. We had a hot spell but are now back to socks and pullovers! 😉
Cathy I have been four days with 23ºC and going up for the weekend. I hope your weather improves and you can enjoy the countryside and your new garden! 🙂 Greetings and memories of Margarita.
I love seeing everyone’s tulips, especially this year as the deer have eaten all of mine. Your vase is beautiful, full of the promises of spring. There is no other season to compare.
Thank you Cindy. Such a shame you can’t grow tulips. Fortunately our fence has kept the deer at bay so far!
I bought some tulips this week, Cathy, just to have indoors in a simple arrangement, and because I think they are so delicate and beautiful. We finally have real “heat” in our climbing temperatures, and tulips don’t last more than a day–so I don’t grow them. I adore yours! I don’t often see the ‘frilly edged” ones and they, to me, are a stand out! 🙂
Hi Debra. Well, we had a mini heatwave which finished off these I shared in this post, but it is now cold again and the next batch are opening. 🙂 I love the frilly lily type tulips too, but my weakness is the elaborate parrot ones. 🌷
You have a lovely selection, Cathy. The lily-flowered tulips are just gorgeous, aren’t they? Enjoy your nesting birds. We have some very noisy starlings and sparrows in our eaves. It is such a lovely sound.
Thanks Ali. I love their shape too. But it is the parrots that make my heart beat faster! 😉 Now that my parrot one is opening I realise it is not the same one as yours (Apricot Parrot), but is called Amazing Parrot.
Bellis looks huge here. Because the small white ones are such a weed in lawns, I would not have grown the garden varieties. However someone else got it last year. It did not do well at all, and eventually succumbed to rust. They look so happy in other gardens, but I still would not have thought to cut the flowers and bring them in. They are just not big enough.
The Bellis I have this year are about an inch across the flower. They don’t usually survive if I plant them out, but look great in spring containers.
That’s only an inch wide?! Well, it is pretty anyway.
Those 3 varieties make great companions. I generally like the lily-flowering tulips, especially ‘Ballerina’.
Yes, Ballerina never fails to please. And it does last well too.