The Victorians were famous for being mad about tulips, which I think is totally understandable. They are gorgeous. So a warning for today’s post, there are a lot of tulip photos, well over the allotted ‘6’ but I’ll make a gallery and try to get away with it. To be truthful, I often return from holiday feeling a bit deflated, especially from a warm, bright climate (Italy) to a damp, sometimes grey one (Belgium), and it takes me a few days to adjust. But seeing the tulips on the terrace in bloom was uplifting, and after all, the sun is out here too:
I like the way tulips open up during the day into full cups, but are closed up in the morning, awaiting the sun. The red-orange lily-shaped Aladdin tulips are especially good when the sun catches them, but this year I’m also enamoured with the golden-yellow of Blushing Apeldoorn.
Just five days away, and my crab apple, Malus Evereste also transformed into full bloom. Behind it the fluffy flowers of an Alpine clematis on the wall pick up the white theme (I make it sound like this was planned!).
Now this was sort-of planned: I planted Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘robbiae’ in the glade, between the bluebells, to get a lime green/blue contrast. The bluebells aren’t quite out yet but this looks promising. The Euphorbia has a tricky name, but when my son had to have his tonsils out here, I learnt that ‘amygdales’ was the word for them in French. Do these bracts really look like tonsils though?
Under the arch, the magical unfurling of the shuttlecock ferns is taking place, I like this moment. You can see baby ferns appearing in between, these will need moving to new homes as before you know it, the ferns become huge and can get overcrowded.
A sea of blue along the front path, sunny side. I think this needs picking up with a contrast, so I’ve bought some primrose coloured wallflower seeds to sow in the summer and plant out later, and hopefully next spring they will look good here. Was it Gertrude Jekyll who said that gardeners were never satisfied but always optimistic?
I am quite satisfied with the Ajuga on the shady side of the path through, their vertical little spires are very pleasing. I’ve mixed the dark purple-leaved from, just coming into flower, with the variegated variety. I do love a plant that slugs are totally uninterested in, not a nibbled leaf in sight. It spreads nicely too, but is easy to dig up and add around the place or give to friends.
That’s all from me, I must get to that allotment and start digging now. For more Six on Saturdays from far and wide, pop over to The Propagator’s site. Have a lovely weekend.
A delightful read with plenty of pictures. I had to look at each of your tulips pictures and not just the montage. And as if that white bird house was not planned to look charming too, pull the other one! Happy Easter.
Thanks for taking the time to view all the tulips! Happy Easter to you too…
I love the pointy petals of the red tulips. There is an almost pinkish blush on the yellow one that adds greatly to its appeal. The ferns are looking very fresh; nice to see them spreading around. I had almost concluded that it was too dry for ferns here, but after seeing a small one on a pretty arid hike, I have decided to give our native ferns another try.
My garden can be pretty dry too because of the mature overhanging trees (but maybe not as dry as yours), but some ferns really don’t mind, including these ones. Look forward to seeing your native ones in your garden soon.
Nice! A plant that slugs don’t like, I must get me some of those! I am seeing lots of Euphorbia in gardens around here, it is something I might had to my garden in the future.
Both of those plants are gloriously slug-proof.
These spring photos are very pretty and similar to the one here (of course). I hope you didn’t catch a cold when you got home?!
I hope you enjoyed Rome and Italy. ( La vita è bella in Italia, vero! ? )
Have a great Easter weekend with your family.
Thanks Fred, I do love Italy, the climate, the architecture, the food, the coffee, the people..bella is the right word!
You don’t have to go to the tulip fields in Holland, you have them in your own garden ! So beautiful all these flowers, you are a great gardener.
Thanks for the kind comment Rudi, I hope to visit those tulip fields very soon!
What a wonderful garden you have! I’m not surprised your spirits were lifted on your return from Italy. Happy Easter!
Oh thank you and Happy Easter to you too!
I feel I can only dream of Italy.
It’s glorious, happy dreams!
Ninfa….dreams!
Wow to the tulips – a very welcome sight. I’m off to look up Ajuga as it sounds like a good thing to have in a garden full of slugs. I can’t remember what my tonsils looked like before they were taken out as a kid – I can’t imagine they resembled the bracts of a euphorbia though! Very curious.
Ajuga is a delight and so easy. Yes am a bit dubious about the euphorbia-tonsils link too!
The tulips are lovely and they add such beautiful splashes of colour in the garden just now. Amelia
Thank you, I do agree, am fond of my tulips.
Lovely tulips and gorgeous pots! I am hoping mine are waiting for me to return home.
Am sure you’ll get a lovely surprise when you get back.
It’s been cooler and duller there so hopefully they have been hibernating!
You can never have too many tulip photos in my opinion. That Blushing Apeldoorn is a new one to me and it looks lovely. I believe the Apeldoorns tend to be perennial?
I’ve not heard the Gertrude J quote before – but it is very true!
I think they are perennial, an old variety I believe. They are really lovely, possibly my new favourite tulip.
Ajuga! Thank you, I have seen it often but not known its name. Lovely tulips.
I would have been quite happy to see more tulip photos Sel! 😉 They all look lovely, but especially Blushing Apeldoorn. Gardeners are by nature optimists, otherwise we wouldn’t ever sow seeds, right?! It is nice to see the lovely lush growth and colour combinations you have Sel. Happy digging!
Thanks Cathy after a weekend of seed sowing I can only agree 🙂
I love tulips! My next garden plant will be tulips.
Oh… I’m lusting after your tulips! What vibrant colors. I can’t plant them in the ground here–gophers will eat almost all flower bulbs. I only have a very few in planters, so I really enjoy yours vicariously. Same with the ferns. Love the fern grove you have going on there under your arch. Great quote by Gertrude Jekyll — well described! Hope the allotment is going well!