Purple and Orange, or to quote from the film
Four Weddings and a Funeral, "The ecclesiastical purple and the pagan orange symbolising the mystical symbiosis in marriage between the heathen and Christian traditions".
No, I just love the colours! Tulip 'Ballerina' contrasted with Tulip 'Little Beauty' (a gift in the Cosy Autumn Swap) in the top photo and then Tulip 'Black Parrot' below.
I also like the contrast of green and purple in Black Parrot - this was at the beginning of the week.
I think I am a little obsessed with Ballerina. It does seems to be extremely photogenic. The shape seems to change too.
More Black Parrot, this morning.
The colours are so rich and luxurious, like a velvet.
Just look at Ballerina with the sun shining through the petals!
The lilac is flowering too. It was a large tree when we moved here, twenty years ago, but it was felled by very strong winds a couple of years ago. I though we had lost it, but it has grown back from the base and the flowers are around head height now, so we can really enjoy it. Nature is marvellous, isn't it?
Delicate and beautifully scented flowers.
I love lilac, we had a lilac hedge at the front of our last hedge, but the people who bought our house pulled it all up :-( I've decided to plant some at this house, and where to put it, just haven't done it yet.
ReplyDeleteYour tulips look fantastic, I have inherited some "black" ones, but they aren't the parrot ones. Also I planted some bulbs last year, just a cheap pack of 5 from Morrisons, and only two of them have flowered, but hopefully they'll do better next year.
Joy xx
Dear Joy
DeleteThank you. I hope you find a place for the lilac. I know it isn't the most interesting shrub/tree for most of the year, but when it flowers, it does more than make up for it! I am going to try to keep the Ballerina tulips but I won't worry too much about the others - I'll buy some more, as I have found in the past that they do lose vigour and/or don't come back, so I treat them more as annuals. Expensive, well, a bit of a treat, but when they flower, the money is justified, I think.
Best wishes
Ellie
It must smell so nice in your garden Ellie! Beautiful all those different sorts of tulips...
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a Sering (?) , a lilac, in our new garden... , it's certainly on my wish list!
Love , Mirjam.
Dear Mirjam
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am so pleased with my tulips this year. Do you mean Syringa - I think that is the latin name. They are lovely when in flower and you can get some more compact sorts now and standard ones too, I think. I am pleased ours has come back as it is so lovely at this time of year.
Best wishes
Ellie
I think it is very hard to beat the colours of nature they are all just perfect x
ReplyDeleteDear Shirley
DeleteThank you. You are so right - perfect indeed.
Best wishes
Ellie
Your flowers are wonderful Ellie! I love the frilled and fluted tulips for their shapes just as much as the gorgeous intense colours. E x
ReplyDeleteDear E
DeleteThank you. I am besotted by these tulips at the moment (I think that may be obvious) and am enjoying seeing them change day by day. I just wish I could fill my garden with them (but fear that is over my budget until I win the lottery!) In the meantime, I shall continue to buy them for pots, and perhaps increase the numbers a few at a time each year, as my budget allows. Sounds like a plan...
Best wishes
Ellie x
The orange ballerina tulips catch the light beautifully. I love tulips in all sizes and colours. I have one lot of red and yellow parrot tulips that have come back year after year while others have failed. I know don't if it is because they are in the ground and the others are in pots.
ReplyDeleteDear cookie
DeleteThank you. The Ballerina tulips are just lovely. Did you see your Little Beauty tulips which you sent me? Also, the Blue Parrot tulips are almost ready to flower as well. Thank you very much for them.
I read that tulips are not that reliable year after year, with the exception of some particular varieties. I used to have one solitary fringed pink tulip which did come back for quite some years but it has disappeared now. Perhaps an experiment needs to be done - half in pots, half in the ground and monitor their progress. Hmm... there's an idea.
Best wishes
Ellie