As a garden writer, I often get bulbs sent to try out. Here's one I planted a couple of years ago: the parrot tulip Estella Rijnveld. To my mind, she looks more like a raspberry sundae than a spring flower. Plant breeders gone overboard for sure!When I get bulbs like this, I'm usually at a loss as to where to plant them. They don't mix well with other spring flowers, and I don't feel they look at home in a country garden. What goes with raspberry sundae, besides whipped cream?
My solution is to line them out in the vegetable garden and then enjoy them as cut flowers. My verdict on parrot tulip Estella Rijnveld? Thumbs down as a garden flower, but really yummy as a cut flower - fun to photograph too.
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I was wondering about those fancy tulips and how they mixed with garden designs. My favourite for the spring garden are tall red, yellow and white, in that order. But I am intrigued by the descriptions in catalogues!
ReplyDeleteI know, they're are so seductive, those catalogues! And as trained designer I know you get more impact from masses of one or two tulips that bloom at the same time, so why are there all sorts of mismatched tulips in my garden? Yup, the catalogues got to me too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yvonne