The alarming truth about my flower bulbs.

Tulips
Each day I wonder: what was I thinking when I ordered this year’s flower bulbs. Why did I not order early tulips? Was I thinking the global warming would bring a Mediterranean climate? Is that why I ordered late blooming tulips?

It has been a mild winter, but oeps, what a cold spring! Cold, wet and late. Depressed I look at my tulips. WHERE ARE THEY? Of course I cannot blame the tulips. It is my purchasing policy. I just wanted to try some special varieties and they usually bloom later.

But there are more differences in comparison with other years. Some tulips have been bitten by frost. The leaves are discoloured; they look a bit messy. Of course, standing with your flower buds in the snow, is not a favourite thing to do for a tulip. However these last year’s tulips much to my surprise are flowering! This T. Thijs Boots is a tough one!

Yesterday, with the first spring sunshine on my back, I have cleared the picking garden. All the weeds have been pulled out, the Lathyrus planted and the paths have been swept.

But also in the picking garden something strange is going on. There is a mysterious killer who is attacking my tulips. At ground level the tulips are nibbled off. Thus they keep staying in the ground, but completely separated from the flower bulb. They fade without being able to bloom. Who is that killer? A snail, mole, pigeon or maybe a pheasant? Have you ever seen this killer?

Fortunately, there are also some successes to tell. I am very pleased with a pot of white anemones combined with tulips. The anemones bloom beautifully, the tulips do not yet. If only I had planted the early T. purissima ...

For next year the 5 best early tulips are back on my list:
T. Exotic Emperor,
T. Concerto,
T. Purissima,
T. turkestanica
T. Flaming purissima.

I have learned my lesson!

The garden is open to the public on April 20 and 21.
Info click on link below
 purple Primrose

Primrose simple and beautiful.


The picking garden is tidy! Waiting for the tulips to flower.

Tulips

Nibbled tulips. There is a mysterious killer in my garden.

Tulips

One month ago. Tulip 'Thijs Boots' in the snow.

Tulips

Tulipa 'Thijs Boots' today. These tulips are from the previous year and left in the ground.

Tulips

Tulipa 'Thijs Boots' is very tough!

Tulips

Tulips in zinc tubs and dustbins. 

Tulips

 It will take some time to see them flower.

Anemone white

Anemone 'The Bride' is successfully.

Tulips


Anemone 'The Bride' in combination with tulip 'White Triumphator. Soon in flower I hope.

Comments

  1. Dear Hetty,
    I am sorry to hear that you have been experiencing problems with some of your tulips this year. I hope you find your ´tulip killer´. Tulipa 'Thijs Boots' from last season looks very pretty. I left all the tulip bulbs from last season in the ground and then planted some additional ones. The tulips from last season have come back and they produced buds, though it will still take some time till they will flower. The new bulbs which I planted in autumn are so far a bit of a disappointment. Some are in bloom right now and guess what colour! All a very bright yellow! Yellow is my least favourite colour in the garden. I certainly haven´t bought yellow ones. I had the same problem with my dahlias and gladioli last year- should have bloomed in pinks and purples, but flowered in oranges instead. When I saw the yellow tulips in my garden some days ago I didn´t feel angry, actually it made me laugh- bright orange and yellow colours seem to follow me in the garden. Maybe the garden needs to brighten up a bit. At least the bees seem to love the yellow tulips. Hopefully, the rest of the tulips will turn out to be the colours I bought. I also have some tulips in pots, but seem to have some problems with them. Last year many of my tulips in pots rotted, so this time I put more grit into the potting soil. However, they still seem to struggle. As last year, they grow, even develop buds, but then seem to stop growing. Any idea why that might be?
    Have a lovely week!
    Best wishes,
    Lisa

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  2. Your garden is breathtaking, Hetty!
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/04/bedtime-at-biltmore.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful garden and so many tulips! You're so lucky - I miss growing them but must admit that I don't like snow.

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  4. Sorry, but I havn´t heard or seen anything like your tulips killer! But the new (forced) tulips are more sensible to everything bad and here the little forest mouses like to eat everything of them. The old brands they don´t tuch!?
    Love/Susie

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