I love to have fresh flowers in the house. It's almost the first thing I do if I have been away - find something in the garden to put in a vase for the middle of the dining table. It looks naked without. Of all the cut flowers, either from the garden or shop bought, tulips are the only ones which grow old with grace, their stems elongating as the days go by. They move around, standing bolt upright overnight, and need a little rearranging in the morning to make them easier on the eye. And then the long stems twist and turn in their final days, as the petals fade in colour.
I have grown some pretty spectacular tulips in flowerpots this year. They are lasting well, with the cool temperatures we have had so far, but I notice that they are now just beginning to fade. But they are doing it beautifully!
One day later. I am on a bit of a roll now, with dying tulips. The ones in the garden are changing, slowly, each day. The petals are contracting and rolling in on themselves.
But two in water, in the kitchen, have desiccated beautifully! The first one is the same as the cerise tulips above. High winds snapped a flower head off and it has been sitting in water, on the dining table, for a couple of weeks.
This single tulip morphed into a graceful ballerina.
I have grown some pretty spectacular tulips in flowerpots this year. They are lasting well, with the cool temperatures we have had so far, but I notice that they are now just beginning to fade. But they are doing it beautifully!
One day later. I am on a bit of a roll now, with dying tulips. The ones in the garden are changing, slowly, each day. The petals are contracting and rolling in on themselves.
Oh WOW! I love that last tulip - it looks as though it's made of satin. Can I ask you - when you've grown tulips in a container, do you keep them in there a second and third year, or do you transfer the bulbs to the garden? I have some lovely frothy pink tulips which were gorgeous last year, but only 4 of the bulbs flowered this year. :(
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely aren't they! Sarah Raven bulbs. I am not the world's best gardener, and things are always a bit hit and miss with me. These bulbs are a new lot, and I am going to leave them in the pots. I do have some I planted in some long grass 6 years ago, which seem to be quietly multiplying - and I mean quietly! Each year there are a couple more plants, but they are lovely and look very natural because they pop up where they will! I think once the tulips in the flower pots die down I will just put some petunias or something on top of them. The bulbs are planted in what Sarah Raven describes as a lasagna, in layers, so some are really deep down. What pops up next year will be a mystery I am looking forward to! Sorry, probably not much help! A
DeleteYour tulips are amazing, they have an orchid like quality about them and also look like they are made of paper. Incredible colours...they are in pots to take with you? xx
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