Comments on: Tiptoe through the tulips with me http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/ a garden journal about public garden maintenance, seasonal tasks, garden events, stories about gardening, volunteers, flowers, bugs and wildlife Thu, 23 May 2013 15:15:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ginny http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/comment-page-1/#comment-6285 ginny Sun, 03 May 2009 22:29:30 +0000 http://www.blithewold.org/blog/?p=2214#comment-6285 Dear Kris, Have just returned this morning from 10 days in Normandy and Loire Valley. Sorry. OMG, really was blown away by the plantings at Giverny and at a new garden at blissful Chateau Cheverny. Anyone else seen it? Don't miss it, anyone planning to travel that way. It is sublime and imaginative..Plus the old trees on the grounds are jaw-droppers. Huge lindens, cedars of everywhere, majestic horse-chestnut in bloom now. Check it out online. But....when I dashed out of the car this morning to inspect our meagre jardin I found a surprise, planted last fall, Tulip 'Rococco' . Picture a dress by Christian LaCroix, a billowing scarlet red taffeta shot through with flames of green and a heart of gold (always welcome). Add ruffles. A parrot with attitude. Got them from Van Engelen Inc. Might be a tad vulgar for zen gardens, but not here. <em>Ginny, The Loire Valley is already on my list of must dos - sounds like it was a wonderful trip and I'll look forward to seeing pictures (come by the greenhouse anytime!) and I'm putting Rococco on the list too. Do you think it's too much for the demure North Garden? -kris</em> Dear Kris,
Have just returned this morning from 10 days in Normandy and Loire Valley. Sorry. OMG, really was blown away by the plantings at Giverny and at a new garden at blissful Chateau Cheverny. Anyone else seen it? Don’t miss it, anyone planning to travel that way. It is sublime and imaginative..Plus the old trees on the grounds are jaw-droppers. Huge lindens, cedars of everywhere, majestic horse-chestnut in bloom now. Check it out online.

But….when I dashed out of the car this morning to inspect our meagre jardin I found a surprise, planted last fall, Tulip ‘Rococco’ . Picture a dress by Christian LaCroix, a billowing scarlet red taffeta shot through with flames of green and a heart of gold (always welcome). Add ruffles. A parrot with attitude. Got them from Van Engelen Inc. Might be a tad vulgar for zen gardens, but not here.

Ginny, The Loire Valley is already on my list of must dos – sounds like it was a wonderful trip and I’ll look forward to seeing pictures (come by the greenhouse anytime!) and I’m putting Rococco on the list too. Do you think it’s too much for the demure North Garden? -kris

]]> By: Pomona Belvedere http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/comment-page-1/#comment-6283 Pomona Belvedere Sat, 02 May 2009 22:09:02 +0000 http://www.blithewold.org/blog/?p=2214#comment-6283 Quite the selection! My own experience with Dreaming Maid is that it starts out much pinker and only goes lilac toward the end. I would not call Bleu Aimable lavender, exactly, it's darker than that, at least in my soil; more like light violet. I am also an Annie Schilder fan (and AS seems to have a knack for returning, which is always nice). The few years when I have not had Apricot Beauty, I have been sorry. If you like apricot tulips, conisder Menton, which blooms later than AB and can carry on the season. Looking into them is almost like staring through those Easter eggs that used to have little colored scenes in them. Menton is tall and egg-shaped, not fragrant like AB but also an heirloom. My Formosa totally refused to open this year, I did plant them late; we might have had hot weather when they were trying to emerge. <em>Pomona, You're quite right about Dreaming Maid - it has become more purple and we're still waiting for Bleu Aimable which does look like the buds are darkening (I couldn't remember even though that was one of my picks). AND you're right about Menton - we love that one. Not only are the blooms egg shaped but they're the size of those eggs hosiery used to be packaged in! And we decided that Formosa, being so late, sort of disappears into the other yellow/greens of the growing garden. Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your love of tulips! -kris</em> Quite the selection! My own experience with Dreaming Maid is that it starts out much pinker and only goes lilac toward the end. I would not call Bleu Aimable lavender, exactly, it’s darker than that, at least in my soil; more like light violet. I am also an Annie Schilder fan (and AS seems to have a knack for returning, which is always nice). The few years when I have not had Apricot Beauty, I have been sorry. If you like apricot tulips, conisder Menton, which blooms later than AB and can carry on the season. Looking into them is almost like staring through those Easter eggs that used to have little colored scenes in them. Menton is tall and egg-shaped, not fragrant like AB but also an heirloom. My Formosa totally refused to open this year, I did plant them late; we might have had hot weather when they were trying to emerge.

Pomona, You’re quite right about Dreaming Maid – it has become more purple and we’re still waiting for Bleu Aimable which does look like the buds are darkening (I couldn’t remember even though that was one of my picks). AND you’re right about Menton – we love that one. Not only are the blooms egg shaped but they’re the size of those eggs hosiery used to be packaged in! And we decided that Formosa, being so late, sort of disappears into the other yellow/greens of the growing garden. Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your love of tulips! -kris

]]> By: Lynn http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/comment-page-1/#comment-6279 Lynn Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:05:18 +0000 http://www.blithewold.org/blog/?p=2214#comment-6279 Nice varieties! I'm not a huge tulip fan, but your apricot mixes are making me think twice about that. We have surprises, yes! A previous owner planted a bunch in the middle of the backyard! They are shocking yellow and red. There are 2 more bunches coming up, one on the inside and one on the outside of Buddy's fence. No doubt red and yellow. I think I will cut them to take for our dinner hosts tomorrow night, even though they are pretty cheerful back there. p.s. I SO want a moongate! <em>Lynn, It sounds like you have our (least) favorite combo of mustard and yellow - why not throw in some orangey apricot? (Amazone!) And I'm with you wanting a moongate for my garden - I definitely need something to remind me to be reverent when I enter it! (The moongate is low enough to make everyone bow when they walk through.) -kris</em> Nice varieties! I’m not a huge tulip fan, but your apricot mixes are making me think twice about that. We have surprises, yes! A previous owner planted a bunch in the middle of the backyard! They are shocking yellow and red. There are 2 more bunches coming up, one on the inside and one on the outside of Buddy’s fence. No doubt red and yellow. I think I will cut them to take for our dinner hosts tomorrow night, even though they are pretty cheerful back there. p.s. I SO want a moongate!

Lynn, It sounds like you have our (least) favorite combo of mustard and yellow – why not throw in some orangey apricot? (Amazone!) And I’m with you wanting a moongate for my garden – I definitely need something to remind me to be reverent when I enter it! (The moongate is low enough to make everyone bow when they walk through.) -kris

]]> By: Susan Sims http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/comment-page-1/#comment-6276 Susan Sims Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:36:58 +0000 http://www.blithewold.org/blog/?p=2214#comment-6276 This year 'Blushing Lady' won hands down. California orange with rosy pink flames that compliment the orangey-yellow perfectly. I planted only 50 this year in the cutting garden; next year it'll be a full 100. <em>Susan, Blushing Lady looks like a beaut - we'll have to add it to our list. And if you like enormous tulips, Dordogne is in the same orange pink range (though flameless). -kris</em> This year ‘Blushing Lady’ won hands down. California orange with rosy pink flames that compliment the orangey-yellow perfectly. I planted only 50 this year in the cutting garden; next year it’ll be a full 100.

Susan, Blushing Lady looks like a beaut – we’ll have to add it to our list. And if you like enormous tulips, Dordogne is in the same orange pink range (though flameless). -kris

]]> By: Christine Guest http://blog.blithewold.org/uncategorized/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-with-me/comment-page-1/#comment-6275 Christine Guest Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:27:33 +0000 http://www.blithewold.org/blog/?p=2214#comment-6275 My 6 year old son wanted to know where the photos of "the platform above the water,"were. The shore line and pond were his favorite features on our visit last Spring, so much so that he fell in! <em>Christine, your son's request has my mystified... Does he mean the dock? There's a picture in <a href="http://www.blithewold.org/blog/storms/shore-did-flood/" rel="nofollow">this post</a> that shows it almost covered by a tide. I hope he didn't mind getting wet! (brrrr!) -kris</em> My 6 year old son wanted to know where the photos of “the platform above the water,”were. The shore line and pond were his favorite features on our visit last Spring, so much so that he fell in!

Christine, your son’s request has my mystified… Does he mean the dock? There’s a picture in this post that shows it almost covered by a tide. I hope he didn’t mind getting wet! (brrrr!) -kris

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