In a vase on Monday: last of the tulips

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in a vase on Monday, May in my garden, parrot tulip, Spring flowers, tulip Angelique, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Ballerina, Tulip Queen of the Night, tulips

I picked these yesterday morning before the day warmed up to its predicted 22 degrees.  Can you believe how the weather has become Summer almost overnight? Every where you look people seem to be enjoying this long weekend of weather and making the most of the long awaited sunlight.  Anyway the tulip flowers are open and a day out in the heat would have finished them off.

I popped the tulips in the large blue glass vase brother Dorris gave as a gift many years ago.  It always works well with tulips as it hides the somewhat messy leaf and stalk set up that tulips do have. 

From above the black table sets off the striking colours of Ballerina and Angelique while the dark near black of Queen of the Night seems properly black, she does seem regal.

So these may be the last of my tulips but I have been pleased with them as they all flowered in pots last year and were lifted and repotted in a raised bed this year. I think they may have done better this year than last.

I hope as it is a bank holiday Monday you will have a few minutes to spare and to pop over to see Cathy.  There will be lots of other vases full of wonderful flowers, maybe some foliage and some will have accessories to look at.  It is a lovely way to start the week, go on, take a quick look, it will not disappoint.

Now if you will excuse me, I am hoping to get some garden work done before it gets too warm for an English gal like me.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are. D.

In a Vase on Monday: tulip mania

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garden visit, Holland, in a vase on Monday, Keukenhof, the Netherlands, tulip Angelique, tulip Antraciet, Tulip Ballerina, tulip Brown Sugar, tulip La Belle Epoque, tulip Spring green, tulips

I fear I am having my own tulip mania thanks to my trip to Keukenhof last week.

It was my first visit and I was completely blown away by the beauty of the bulbs. The weather was warm which let’s face it, always helps.

Against a blue sky, the bulbs were beneath trees in full blossom which created a perfect haze of pink or in this case white. The warm air carried the heady scent of hyacinths which were planted in thousands.

I think I was expecting regimented rows of bulbs in blocks or bands of colour.

This was the case in some places but elsewhere the bulbs were planted in glorious colour combinations mixed with muscari or hyacinth or anemones.

Keukenhof plants about 7 million bulbs every year, admired by some 1.5million visitors, over the eight weeks that it is open. Mind blowing figures. Certainly it is a busy place to visit but its 32 hectare site copes well.

The bulbs are planted in nets as the soil is heavy clay and these are all lifted at the end of the show.

The lifted bulbs are sorted, the larger ones are kept for another year, the rest are disposed of. Mature trees cast shade once in leaf and the grass is reseeded each year for the show. The work that goes into this show is remarkable.

So this brings me to my vase. Tulips, a handful of tulips. They are pretty good in my garden this year.

I picked a selection to take to a friend.

Tulip Spring Green, Tulip Angelique, Tulip Ballerina, Tulip a La Belle Epoque, Tulip Brown Sugar, Tulip Antraciet

Joining Cathy with in a Vase on Monday. Should you like to join in add a link back to cathy’s blog and join in this popular Monday meme.

Have a great week. D.