Looks likely, Dan, they usually last well even into May (though the last week or so has been unseasonably warm😎). I planted this group ten years ago and they’re still going strong – remarkable for our horrid clay soil.
Given the height difference between the bed and the path, it does look a bit like land of the giant tulips. On a more serious note, the foliage of Geranium Anne Thomson is a lovely zingy lime green too.
Love that colour Kate. I am amazed at the size of those leaves in the foreground – poppies, geraniums and is that a peony? Wow, it’s really tall already!
Yes, to all three Cathy – thanks to the fine weather, the peony, Duchess de Nemours, has grown very quickly in the last week or so. This tall, glossy bronze/orange tulip is one of my favourites.
I too was looking lovingly at my big pots of Brown Sugar tulips in the sun this afternoon! Only for me this is the first year I have tried them (as a change from my Ballerinas) and I can agree wholehearted with how beautiful the colour is. But I’m pleased to learn from you that I’ll be able to put them in the garden afterwards and hopefully enjoy them next year too. Could I ask a question please, Kate? I’m about to launch myself on a big re-planting of my main flowerbed which surrounds my seating area close to the house – the whole process is reducing me (normally quite confident in my garden) to a gibbering, indecisive nervous wreck, as I’ve never done anything on this scale before….I too garden on heavy clay, and we are very windy and exposed here on a limestone/clay ridge overlooking the Somerset Levels with seemingly nothing to deflect the wind between us and the Bristol Channel! Could I ask what you use (or used initially when you were first planting your grassy beds) as a mulch to stop the clay baking hard on the surface in the summer? I get the feeling that I shouldn’t add too much more fertility to the clay in the form of a ‘normal’ mulch like mushroom compost or rotted manure, as perhaps the grasses will grow too floppy? Am I right? But I definitely need to use something, I’ve no idea what would be best! I’d appreciate your suggestions.
Hi Sarah, what excellent questions. I wrote a bit about the ground prep and mulching of a new border in A Seed Raise Meadow, here https://thegardenbarnhouse.com/2015/05/15/the-deschampsia-meadow-growing-ornamental-grasses-from-seedb/which has an image of how the wood chip, fine grit around the crowns of Molinias etc worked. This was a no-dig, layered bed. In all other plantings I improved the soil structure with organic matter plus added grit/light loam mix to the planting holes for other grasses. Composted bark works well for me. Generally, I think grasses only get too lush and leafy/flop if fed with artificial/unbalanced fertilisers and maybe if applied more than once a year in spring. There’s a fab product called Strulch, ultra fine minerealised straw https://www.strulch.co.uk/ Good luck with your exciting project!
Thank you so much for your ideas – I’ve been researching the strulch this evening and it certainly looks like it might be the thing! One down side I have discovered – having referred back to your earlier post about growing the meadow from seed I’m now longing to keep going and read all of your other lovely posts from earlier years when I’m supposed to be finalising and pricing my plant list…Fabulous inspiration in your posts, just fantastic xx
Hope you like the product, I’m trying it on specimen hostas this year -so far less snail/ slug damage. Thank you for your very kind words about my grassy posts, grasses are marvellous plants and a constant source of inspiration for me.
A sweet tulip Kate. The tulips are very early this year, we open with the village church open gardens on the bank holiday weekend, I don’t think they will last tilll then.
This is a raised and so well drained bed, Christina which probably helps. The emperor series have quite done well elsewhere in the garden, I expect many losses are down to the voles and mice.
The combination of orange and limegreen is always dashing. Love that luscious new growth of spring. Maybe too much so as Euphorbia characias is going a bit wild at the moment but I don’t have the heart to tell them off. Do you replace the bulbs every year?
No, these were planted in 2007. Mind you, this sunny raised bed is an exception to the rule here – mostly tulips don’t do well in my garden because of the heavy clay.
Barn House Garden 
That’s gorgeous, Kate. Such a great ‘tulipy’ colour and perfect with fresh, limey, spring growth!
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Thanks, Janna. They looked lovely today in the spring sunshine.
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One of my favourite tulips. When I get back from my holiday I hope mine will be flowering. Yours look lovely where they are planted.
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Looks likely, Dan, they usually last well even into May (though the last week or so has been unseasonably warm😎). I planted this group ten years ago and they’re still going strong – remarkable for our horrid clay soil.
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Scented too !!
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Oh, thank you, Sue that’s helpful to know. I always wondered if it was Euphorbia ‘Fens Ruby’ but thought it a bit early for the spurge to be fragrant.
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They look really lovely with your peony and euphorbia. Love your header image!
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Given the height difference between the bed and the path, it does look a bit like land of the giant tulips. On a more serious note, the foliage of Geranium Anne Thomson is a lovely zingy lime green too.
LikeLike
Love that colour Kate. I am amazed at the size of those leaves in the foreground – poppies, geraniums and is that a peony? Wow, it’s really tall already!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, to all three Cathy – thanks to the fine weather, the peony, Duchess de Nemours, has grown very quickly in the last week or so. This tall, glossy bronze/orange tulip is one of my favourites.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too was looking lovingly at my big pots of Brown Sugar tulips in the sun this afternoon! Only for me this is the first year I have tried them (as a change from my Ballerinas) and I can agree wholehearted with how beautiful the colour is. But I’m pleased to learn from you that I’ll be able to put them in the garden afterwards and hopefully enjoy them next year too. Could I ask a question please, Kate? I’m about to launch myself on a big re-planting of my main flowerbed which surrounds my seating area close to the house – the whole process is reducing me (normally quite confident in my garden) to a gibbering, indecisive nervous wreck, as I’ve never done anything on this scale before….I too garden on heavy clay, and we are very windy and exposed here on a limestone/clay ridge overlooking the Somerset Levels with seemingly nothing to deflect the wind between us and the Bristol Channel! Could I ask what you use (or used initially when you were first planting your grassy beds) as a mulch to stop the clay baking hard on the surface in the summer? I get the feeling that I shouldn’t add too much more fertility to the clay in the form of a ‘normal’ mulch like mushroom compost or rotted manure, as perhaps the grasses will grow too floppy? Am I right? But I definitely need to use something, I’ve no idea what would be best! I’d appreciate your suggestions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Sarah, what excellent questions. I wrote a bit about the ground prep and mulching of a new border in A Seed Raise Meadow, here https://thegardenbarnhouse.com/2015/05/15/the-deschampsia-meadow-growing-ornamental-grasses-from-seedb/which has an image of how the wood chip, fine grit around the crowns of Molinias etc worked. This was a no-dig, layered bed. In all other plantings I improved the soil structure with organic matter plus added grit/light loam mix to the planting holes for other grasses. Composted bark works well for me. Generally, I think grasses only get too lush and leafy/flop if fed with artificial/unbalanced fertilisers and maybe if applied more than once a year in spring. There’s a fab product called Strulch, ultra fine minerealised straw https://www.strulch.co.uk/ Good luck with your exciting project!
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Thank you so much for your ideas – I’ve been researching the strulch this evening and it certainly looks like it might be the thing! One down side I have discovered – having referred back to your earlier post about growing the meadow from seed I’m now longing to keep going and read all of your other lovely posts from earlier years when I’m supposed to be finalising and pricing my plant list…Fabulous inspiration in your posts, just fantastic xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you like the product, I’m trying it on specimen hostas this year -so far less snail/ slug damage. Thank you for your very kind words about my grassy posts, grasses are marvellous plants and a constant source of inspiration for me.
LikeLike
Beautiful. I have grown a big pot of them for the first time this year, I am mad on them. I learnt about them from Christina at my HebridesGarden.
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These were a present from my mum, she loves tulips and would think she’d gone to heaven if she saw Christina’s divine collection of tulips.
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A sweet tulip Kate. The tulips are very early this year, we open with the village church open gardens on the bank holiday weekend, I don’t think they will last tilll then.
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I hope the tulips are still looking good for your church gardens open day this weekend. Maybe the cooler weather will help.
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As you know I share your love of T. Brown Sugar, its great that it does so well in your clay soil too.
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This is a raised and so well drained bed, Christina which probably helps. The emperor series have quite done well elsewhere in the garden, I expect many losses are down to the voles and mice.
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The combination of orange and limegreen is always dashing. Love that luscious new growth of spring. Maybe too much so as Euphorbia characias is going a bit wild at the moment but I don’t have the heart to tell them off. Do you replace the bulbs every year?
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No, these were planted in 2007. Mind you, this sunny raised bed is an exception to the rule here – mostly tulips don’t do well in my garden because of the heavy clay.
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I find that the species tulips do very well in my clay soil which is often water-logged in winter too, even better than in the well drained borders.
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A glorious colour, Kate.
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It’s a beauty!
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I love the color of that variety of tulip, Kate. They look like they have nice strong stems, too. Wishing you a pleasant spring season!
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