The Spring Garden - more tulips (part two)

I do like taking photos of the sky through Magnolia Susan as the unfurling leaves and tracery of branches make a lovely foreground.

Blue sky and white clouds help too.

Here is Rhododendron Patty Bee flowering beautifully.

Although there is no scent, this is a very pretty flower.

Rhododendron Tinkerbird in its second year and with the buds just starting to open.  It came through the winter well and I was really looking forward to seeing the flowers but then of course, we had more rain.  Would the flowers get battered?

So far, so good.  The scent was not very strong though, due to the dull weather.

I have recently bought some Lewisias, here a white and pink one.  They have a mass of flowers at the moment, but I do need to pot them on.

Ballerina and Red Shine in the border.The wall does show them off well.

 Here's Rhododendron Tinkerbird this morning - fully open and smelling wonderful - a strong jasmine fragrance.  Star of the garden at the moment, I think.

The flowers are beautiful too.

 Another view, just because I can!

 Here is tulip Shirley doing well and showing the delicate colouring on the edges of the petals.

 Another close up.

Tulip Brown Sugar again.  It has done really well this year. There will be one more post featuring tulips as there are two tubs by the front door, but they are not quite in flower yet.

A new shed (and the last views of the tulips)

My rather wonderful (and kind and lovely and thoughtful!) husband, Chris, has made me (well, us) a new shed, using mainly recycled materials.  It is the poshest shed I have owned!  The old shed needed to be replaced as it had rotted and was leaning at a rather drunk angle.  This new version is built to last and will be a practical working space, right at the end of the garden, opposite the lilac tree. Thanks, Chris, I love it!

 It has metal shelves on one side, opposite the window and lino on the floor...

 and a stainless steel potting bench on the other side, under the window.

 I have the exciting job of deciding what is going where now. All the things stored in the old shed have been on the patio under a plastic sheet while construction was going on, and I am going to enjoy sorting it all out (I think!).  I thought I had better take some photos of it before I fill it up again, as it will never be quite this tidy again...

Here are the last photos of this year's tulips.  I have been looking to see what I may like to have next year.  Ballerina will definitely feature again!

 These are the tulips in tubs at the front - a single early and single late mix.  Orange and white have featured here.

This is one which appeared in my last post but the colour has moved into the petals more now.

 The lilac in the back garden is looking and smelling lovely.

 Blueberry Blue Pearl is also flowering and I have seen lots of bees around it.  I hope this means a good harvest in the autumn.

I couldn't resist a last look at Ballerina and Red Shine, enjoying the sun this morning.  Beautiful!

In the garden...

 The tulips in the garden are looking lovely although some are starting to go over now.  The photos were taken a few days ago, when it was sunny.

 Lovely vibrant Ballerina and Red Shine.

 The inside of Ballerina.

 More Ballerina, but these are in the border and are from either last year, or the year before.

 The pink frilled tulip which suddenly appeared in the border last year after an absence of at least five years!

 One of the tulips from the tubs at the front of the house.  There are still some which haven't opened yet, so it will be interesting to see what other colours are there.

 I couldn't resist a close up of the beautiful colouring on the petals.  It looks as though someone has dropped red ink on yellow blotting paper, or coloured the edges with a felt pen and the colour has bled.

 Here is one of my latest purchases - another Lathyrus vernus, but this time, Alboroseus with delicate pale pink flowers.

They are so pretty.

Spring garden

 The wet weather has encouraged the plants to put on a lot of growth and it is all looking rather green and luscious.  Above is Clematis Crystal Fountain which is looking very flamboyant.

 The blowsy clematis contrasts well with the understated elegance of this aquilegia (I don't know the variety).

 This one is supposed to be 'Navy and White', but appears to have turned pink.  I do like it, despite it not being blue!

 Here's one of my newest plants, Magnolia 'Fairy Blush' which has such pretty flowers.  It is supposed not to get too massive, can be pruned and is meant to be really hardy. I'm impressed so far - how could I not like those flowers?

 Really pretty delicate colours.  I also have a white/cream one, but it only has leaves as it is a younger plant.

The tulips have been beautiful this year and I have already put in my order for next year!  Although most of them are now over, Red Shine continues to give a splash of colour which offsets all the green so well.  Chris said how much he liked these particular ones (just as well, because I have ordered more!).  Although there is quite as bit of dodging showers for us, the plants are loving it and I am looking forward to seeing what flowers next.

Tulip-o-rama!

I couldn't resist a round up of some of the tulips which have been brightening up the garden.  They are especially bright, so sunglasses may be in order!  Above is Black Parrot (which was dried and replanted from last year and has done really well), looking amazingly velvety and luscious.

This was a very zingy combination of colours at the front of the house...

 ...which contrasted with the rather refined and elegant pinky-purple of this one (these were a mixture of Triumph and Single Early).

Here's the tub at the front of the house, bringing us a welcome bit of colour as we go in and out.

This fringed tulip appeared in the border and was a surprise.  I remember a pink fringed tulip appearing for a few years when we first moved in, but then it seemed to disappear.  I know I haven't planted any fringed ones, so is this the original one putting in a re-appearance?  If so, it is very welcome!

 

 Here are the new Ballerina, shining out against the brick wall and the foliage.

 Tulip 'Red Shine' really do shine and are beautiful.

 When the sun shines, Ballerina loves it!  There is another tub of Single Late tulips to the left, so there are still a few more tulips to enjoy.

 Red Shine at the front, Ballerina at the back - I love them! (I think this is probably obvious).

The surprise pink fringed tulip looking almost fluorescently fuchsia pink.  I think more tulips will be required next year (if I can manage to squeeze more tubs in!).  I think this may be starting to be an obsession...

Patience

 Being a keen gardener can be a wonderful and exciting thing - but it can also be frustrating, challenging and difficult at times.  However, the one thing above all that it teaches is to be patient.  In this fast-paced world, patience is most definitely a virtue. 
Here we are, in autumn and I have just finished my tulip planting for next spring, with the optimism and excitement this brings.  I have ordered more tulips than I have had before, due to the joy that this year's tulips gave me.  Above is Ballerina, from my garden in April/May this year. The other photos are from the Peter Nyssen website, which is where I got all my bulbs from, and if the quality is the same as last year, they should be terrific.
I have kept some of these Ballerina bulbs and have put them together with some Black Parrot, also from earlier this year, in the same pot, to see whether they will flower next year, as the flowering quality can drop and most advice seems to be to treat tulips as one year only flowers.  However, it's a bit of an experiment and I shall report back.

 I have gone for single mixtures for the early insects, including single early (above)...

 and single late.  They do look spectacular in a mass planting.  Mine are all in pots and tubs.

 I have also chosen Red Shine, which is meant to be as good as Ballerina, so I am really looking forward to seeing how that one does.

Another bright mix - single Triumph mix.  I am hopeful that my pots will be a riot of colour.  I have learnt from my mistakes last year and I haven't crammed the bulbs in so much.  I have planted them on two levels, so now there is nothing left to do but to sit and wait until next Spring.  Patience indeed...