I know it’s been a while. Let’s put it down to apathy. Recovery from a rubbish 2025. But let’s see if I can get the mojo back for this year despite being 5 months in.

It’s mid May and I haven’t blogged about tulips. That’s a first in a long time but I’ve instagrammed them to death which they will be by the time I finish this and get back to the Uk.

To be honest I’ve started the 2027 planning ~ not unusual but choices get more limited as stock gets harder to find and the suppliers are asked to take larger quantities. I make no bones about my favourite supplier being Peter Nyssen who have supplied me with tulips for well over a decade.

As usual the planning started with discussions with my my tulip partner in crime Siobhan ~ messages of have you seen this one? No. What about this one? Siobhan. No. I don’t like frilly. An exchange that can go on for months until we have both decided on colours and bulbs. There’s always a call to Karen at Peter Nyseen ~ I’m thinking of using x but it’s not in stock. Can you suggest an alternative. She can. And does.

Ian says it’s an obsession and when asked he always says I have no idea how much he spends on tulips. As I remind him. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink so I have to have one vice. Ok. I also like glass. I couldn’t resist this bit of pottery either. Don’t you had enough he asked. But I don’t have one of these !

I recently looked at photos of my earlier year pots. Very restrained. Very frugal in both pots and tulips.

Things got slightly busier after 2016, a few more tulips but only two colours.

I think 2024 was the year I decided my planting style was – stuff as many in a pot with as many colours you can have. Cross your fingers and hope they turn out ok.

The major planning goes into the choosing of the colours. I do work on a planting plan. Same colours for the two front door pots.

Then the rest is a bit of a mixture. Why? Because I find planting what has become 20 pots a tad boring. I lose concentration, largely as I stop constantly to talk to anyone passing by. Then forget where I was. So I promise I start off with good intention, then throw colour and caution to the wind. As Karen says it’s a bit of a dolly mixture planting. Sometimes a dolly mixture of deranged colours.

So what do I think of the 2026 pots. To be honest they started a bit pink. Which wasn’t a bad thing but I’d obviously got distracted when planting and gave up very early following any kind of plan.

But as it developed it become more of what I was aiming for. If I knew what it is. I have finally realised that you need some yellow and white to give it all a bit of a lift. I’m newish to yellow tulips. I wasn’t a fan. For me yellow in spring is daffodils. Yes I know you can get pink daffodils but if you ever see me planting them you know I’ve gone completely bonkers. Have you seen the wall of daffodils at the RHS Chelsea show. I thought daffodils were one shape. One colour, and was the one we wore on ST David’s day. Who knew the number of varieties. I didn’t until faced with hundreds at Chelsea.

As the season moves on the colours became more intense. But it’s not just about the colour it’s also about the shape of the tulips. I’ve said frilly isn’t for me. I appreciate their colours and I did have one or two in the pots this year but I suspect that’s a one off.

The red and the white are firm favourites. Go go red opens to a glorious starfish shape with a yellow centre whilst the white and the shape of healthcare lifts the darker colours. These two are now a regular part of the planting. Until they aren’t available which does happen. There are old favourites which I can no longer get. Abu hassan is one.

The gorgeous shape of the yellow ~ it’s a glorious yellow. Not pale. Not acid yellow but again lifts the colours of the darker tulips which I love.

A new one for me this year and one from famer gracey. Tulip cherry It is one of the largest fattest and brightest ( that’s a lot of ests) I have planted. It’s a yes for 2027 – well it’s on the long list. Which is long and getting longer. Next will be looking at the heights. The season. Whether it’s an early. Or a late. Does it go into May. Too short and they get lost. Like some of the parrots. (Tulips. Not actual parrots ). Too early and they are over well before the full burst. It’s not just buy and bung them in.

It’s amazing how the pallete changes in the weeks that the tulips are out.

So what first attracted me to tulips. I’d take a guess and say Georgie Newbury from common farm flowers. I had been friendly with Georgie for some time but after my retirement in 2015 as ‘something for me to do ‘ Ian bought me some courses with Georgie. Which I loved ~ later I was fortunate to be part of the team when Georgie was busy with large weddings. I say part of the team- say work experience – but after getting away from the corporate world I was happy to sweep floors and take in the wonders that were being created. To be fair Georgie did encourage me to do more than that ~ and being amongst her enthusiasm for British grown flowers ~ grown not flown ~ was infectious. And of course there were tulips. Of every shape. Every colour.

I had also visited a NGS garden in Essex where our friend Barbara Segall was promoting her book ‘Secret Gardens of East Anglia’ . The garden is owned and gardened by Philippa Burrough and whose tulip planting for spring colour inspired me along with later visits for the summer planting. Always beautiful as well as inspiring.

So with enthusiasm I grew them in pots in London. In window boxes as well as the pots in Somerset. I’ve tried growing them in Spain with little success. Thankfully I can still get Peter nyssen deliveries to us in Spain. Tulips need a cold spell which we don’t get much of even though we are 2,000!ft up the mountain. Ian has strongly said I cannot put them in the fridge for a month. Yes I know I could buy a tulip fridge. But I also know how far I can push things. That would be one step too far. He’d say. Tulips or a fridge.

We only had a small front garden in London and the back garden was tiny and was planted with tree ferns. Tulips were for the front garden

I planted the window boxes and the pots a bit like the Somerset pots colourful and stuffed full.

I had given up on Spain ~ tulips ~ not actually given up Spain. Two seasons only. Armani planted in the white wall which was ok. And a couple of pots by the pool. But when you are a show off ( just with tulips ) there’s no point in doing it when all I will do is moan and apologise for such a poor show.

As I get back to Somerset it will be time to empty the tulip pots and start on the summer planting.

Some of the tulips will go to friends who have asked for them for their garden. I say yes on the caveat that they have been crowd planted which isn’t recommended. The general rule is don’t let the bulbs touch. As I’m using them for one season only then I don’t worry.

At this stage I have a vague idea for the summer pots. But it is vague. It has to be easy as we are away for chunks of the summer. Very easy for the friends who water them.

There’s also the continued planning of the 2027 season. I’ve started by looking at what’s available at Peter Nyssen and a few at Farmer gracey. As more get added to their websites I’ll add more to the long list. Get recommendations from friends. Look at catalogues. Then panic when I go to order and my choices are out of stock. I did that in 2025 -, Brown Sugar tulips. I love their height. Their colour and they have a bit of a scent. It’s firm favoutite of not only me but also a number of people who pass by and always ask about them. But in 2015 they were sold out. You’d think with the number I plant ( don’t ask ) I would get over it. My niece kindly found some and bought them as a Christmas present. But we didn’t get brown sugar. Disappointing all round and not her fault and that’s why I generally use my preferred suppliers. I have had the idea of planting 20 pots of one single colour. Or maybe two colours. But what if I was sent the wrong ones and spent the whole of spring in a mood. I know. What’s different.

So I’ve started looking and so far these are on the long list.

There will be changes, there will be additions and discussion before the final choices are made. Be patient or if you don’t like tulips.

Look away !

Oh. And each season there is a reciprocal vist between Somerset and East Devon to view each others pots. These were some of Siobhan’s. Along with the fabulous potted narcissi on the steps.

So the posting and the enjoyment of tulips are almost done for another year, but the process quietly continues with raised eyebrows from Ian.