It’s that time again. April when the tulips begin to open in earnest. I have tried a few different ones this year and also a couple of old favourites. The yellow ones (possibly ‘West Point’) featured previously and T.Palmyra are still going strong though the colour of Palmyra is changing as she matures.
Tulip ‘Ronaldo’ is one of my old favourite dark purple/almost black tulips with a delightful neat cup-shaped flower.
This pot has a mixture of Tulip ‘Mascara’ and ‘Bourbon Street’. I’m not very happy with these varieties which is why this pot is at the back of the garden. Mascara is not as dark as I had hoped (blackish-red) and Bourbon Street (burnt orange, bronze and red) looks as if it has a virus and it’s the wrong shade of red for me.
A more successful planting is this container with an old favourite, T. ‘Whittallii’ a botanic tulip which comes back year after year. This year I I turfed everything out and replanted with new bulbs as my older ones had been in this pot since 2016. They are very small bulbs, but pack a lot in with the lovely combination of orange, yellow and olive. In the same container are a few ‘Ballerina’ and yes, one of those yellow tulips!
I always look forward to seeing my tulips each year and they definitely add flamboyant colour to the garden whilst we wait for the perennials to emerge.
Jim of Garden Ruminations is now our host and as a former nurseryman has a lot more than the SOS happening over on his blog so well worth following. As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to his site where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world. See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
I am guessing you have deliberately chosen this colour palette, Jude, ie no pinks and purples? They are certainly really striking and make sucha great statement in May. Lovely! 👍