Tulips – Page 2 – Gardens. Travel. Life.

I hadn’t been to our garden in Somerset for two weeks. I expected the grass to be as high as an elephants eye but to be fair it wasn’t that bad. Needed it’s first cut of the season but it wasn’t too daunting a task. Especially in such glorious weather.

What I hadn’t expected were the tulips to have burst into life. I had potted up a dozen or so pots and had left them on the rear terrace. The terrace is south facing and I bring the tulips on there ready to be played at the front of the cottage where there is sun for only part of the day. So with some assistance we heaved the pots through the house to the front.

Two days later with this weather the majority had opened. Last year was the first time I had grown tulips at the front and it was a huge success. I like to change the front so this year the tulips weee changed too. My mother would have said it was showing off. To be fair I couldn’t disagree. The cottage is right on the road. You can’t help but notice the tulips.

Ian is no gardener but he saw tulips he liked at the Malvern show last year so as he showed an interest I decided to buy them. So the pots were planted with Brown Sugar. His choice and separate pots of Purissama -mine. As usual with the generous advice of Karen from Peter Nyssen I ordered others as well. Too many as usual so I have planted a lot in a cutting patch. Which will all flower when we are not there.

The Purissima are stunning opening into great big blousy flowers which at a quick glance look like they have a bee inside. They are stunning and close up tight again when the sun passes.

The pots have opened well and to be fair look great at the front of the cottage against the warm Somerset stone.

Back in London I grew tulips in one window box and two large containers – and with very different colours to the Somerset tulips. I hadn’t used them in window boxes before but good old Karen assured me they would be ok.

These have opened beautifully in the morning sun – and have been a joy.

The pots at the back have spring into life this weekend. Tulip Belle Époque has opened and there are a few rouge Brown sugars in there too. I didn’t mention earlier that these also have a lovely scent.

Tulips are a new one for me to be fair. But on the basis of how they have been over the last two years they are here to stay!

We also had a wander around Lytes Cary a NT property on Saturday where they also had some amazing Tulips. I have a list as long as my arm of what I’d like to grow next year thanks to the Instagram,twitter and Facebook posts of everyone’s favourites. At Lytes Cary these were added to my list. Such a beautiful colour and in the sunshine just dazzled.

It Was also good to see that the professional gardeners get a rogue tulip here and there too.

This one was very obvious! Along with what was probably one of last years that missed being dig up!

I don’t feel so bad now with the odd one here and there that I have found out of place!

So it was back to London for a busy week ahead – I know. I’m retired. But I’m busy! But first to water. When I left on Thursday the tree ferns were good. They had kept a lot of their fronds over winter. I hadn’t had to put straw in their crowns. But I get back and all hell has broken loose. The two days of sun has made them spring into action and they are about to burst forth. As long as Fred stays out of the crown that is.

I love tree ferns and we are lucky that we have a micro climate in the small ( tiny) garden we have here. But the tree ferns. The olive. The banana do well.

So move over tulips. It’s tree fern time.

I’m lucky enough to live close to Common Farm Flowers in Somerset and I’m even luckier to be able to say that I’m friends with Georgie Newberry. So I never miss an opportunity to go to the flower farm and help out when they are busy. Or to go to a workshop. Or two. Or three.
Don’t get me wrong. Help out is a bit of a grand sweeping statement. I sweep the floor. I make the tea. I talk a lot. I might pop some flowers in buckets ready for the artistic bit to be done by others. But what I do get is to be around some of the most lovely British grown flowers that you can find.

And to be with some lovely people and to eat cake. I always take cake. I think cake is the answer. To any question.

It also means I get to see Lorraine aka @lorraines_veg – queen of the jam jar posy who is there too. Not just for the cake though that helps but to help as well.

Getting to know Georgie, Sharon and the flowery folk has meant that I now look to see where the flowers I buy are grown. Drilled into me. Buy local. Grown not flown. These flowers are all British and dispels the myth that you can’t get British flowers except for the summer months. You can.

By and large I always buy British. But like lots of things sometimes you fall off the wagon. There is the odd occasion I don’t. Hands up. Guilty. Particularly when I am in London and I can’t source easily and I want flowers for the house. But more and more places do stock British.

Our garden In london isn’t a garden. It’s a back yard. Great for pots. For tree ferns. . But no room really for a cutting patch. Well not at all. There are flowers but not enough to pick. There for show . . For colour. Unlike Somerset where I can and do grow for cutting. ( I’d say picking rather than cutting!).

I digress. It’s about the flowers. Not me. For once.

So armed with thermals, vest.,Long johns and a Scarf. Oh. And cake I turned up for duty. You don’t heat up a flower studio – I learnt that bit very quickly! The first thing that hits you is the colour. Then the scent. Gorgeous sweet scents.

I love spring flowers. Well actually. I love flowers full stop. The ranunculus were stunning. The tulips fresh. The anemones like little jewels. The daffodils and narcissi wafting their scent across the studio. The foliage complementing the flowers. Individually lovely but put together in the bouquets – truly gorgeous.

Anemone jewels

I did manage to take some pictures. Well. A lot of pictures to be honest in between doing what ever I was told to do.

There were bouquets to make. Pussy willow to cut. Hand ties to do. Boxes to pack. Cake to eat. But there were flowers. Flowers everywhere.

I just loved the ranunculus. Beautiful red. Bright orange. Gorgeous yellow. White. Strong upstanding. Majestic. I brought some back to london on Monday and they are still making me smile.