Welcome to my weekly ‘In A Vase On Monday’ when I link up with Cathy from Rambling In The Garden to join in with her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase in the house every Monday. This week is a combination of two vases – one made just before I left for Barcelona and another made on my return last Friday and photographed a few days later.
These are all tulips that have flowered in my greenhouse and they come from a collection sent to me in the autumn by Sarah Raven. The collection is called the Brandy Snap Tulip Collection. Every year Sarah Raven adds new collections of tulips to her lovely catalogue which makes picking tulips that will look beautiful together very easy. All the tulips are also available as single varieties if you prefer to make your own selection.
The Brandy Snap collection consists of three varieties:
- La Belle Epoque which is a combination of apricot pink and coffee. This is a late double variety which should flower outside between late April and early May,
- Bruine Wimpel which is an unusual brandy snap brown and is a late single tulip,
- Ronaldo which is a deep purple single early tulip and
- Cairo which is also a single early with a deep burnt orange interior and brandy snap exterior.
Following my very unsuccessful autumn bulb planting season, I hastily planted these bulbs in my greenhouse bed towards the end of January – not ideal as really tulips need a cold spell to promote the best growth. Much to my surprise they have flowered very well despite their mistreatment – Ronaldo and La Belle Epoque were the first to flower followed shortly after by Bruine Wimpel. These three make up the vase below.
This is a close up look at the stunning Bruine Wimpel.
And this is the interior of the equally beautiful La Belle Epoque.
A week later tulip Cairo was ready to pick and can be seen in the smaller vase at the front, a few days after cutting.
La Belle Epoque lasted beautifully in the vase and then aged in a breath taking manner.
Tulip Ronaldo stayed very upright throughout his time in the vase.
This final photo shows the two tone colour of tulip Cairo very well. The tulip behind is Apricot Dream which was also grown in my greenhouse. The Apricot Dream bulbs that made it into outdoor pots are only just coming into flower.
Out of this collection the only tulip I have grown before is Ronaldo, which comes back very well year after year. Generally I find the single early tulips are the most reliable for repeat flowering.
My tulips are all coming into flower in the garden right now and I have made a devastating discovery in my Cutting Garden – the tulip virus called tulip fire has romped through much of my tulip collection destroying the flowers this year. Bulbs that have been infected with this virus grow with distorted leaves that are marked with brown patches, looking like burn marks. The flowers are very small and also marked with brown blotches. There is no cure for tulip fire and it spreads very quickly, so the bulbs must be dug up and burnt to stop the virus from spreading. It is recommended that tulips are not replanted in areas with tulip fire for two to three seasons. Fortunately the virus is only in the beds in the Cutting Garden – tulips growing in my main garden, pots and raised beds have not been infected so I am keeping my fingers crossed that if I get rid of these infected bulbs as quickly as possible I will stop any further spread of this horrible disease. A gardeners life is never easy!!
I have been working on pulling together a collection of photos of my garden taken over the last month as spring has really got underway, so I will be back with those later this week. If you like looking at photos of tulips you might enjoy my tulip board on Pinterest where I am building up a collection of images of tulips that inspire me. Every year at about this time I start to make notes about the tulips I would like see in my garden next year – the best time to plan your spring displays is now whilst everything is fresh in your mind. I will certainly be growing La Belle Epoque, Bruine Wimple, Ronaldo and Cairo together outside next year and must say a big thank you to Sarah Raven for giving me the opportunity to trial them.
Finally a big thank you to Cathy for hosting and I hope you will pop over to her blog to see what she and the others have made this week.
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Thanks, Julie, for sharing your tulip collection. Absolutely engaging.
Thank you John!
Oh no that is awful that this virus has infected your cutting bed….and all those tulips lost. But I am glad you have others throughout the garden and greenhouse….a beautiful collection here in your vases Julie!
Thank you Donna – I am just keeping my fingers crossed that I can limit the spread so that things are not worse next year.
Tulip fire was spotted on some of my tulips this year. Today I dug them all up with the exception of two varities which I planted this winter from new virus free bulbs. Annoyingly the tulip fire was spotted on Purple Prince which I acquired from Polesden Lacey as second year tulips last summer. So far the new tulips (a deep purple and a deep red) are not affected. If you can help with identifying my new tulips (posted in a vase on Monday today) I would be very grateful. I bought and planted them when I was deep in cottage renovation and diidn’t keep a note which is unlike me. I’m not sure what the advice is on replanting tulips in beds previously affected but I will be making a new tulip bed this winter. Looking forward to seeing your garden photos and your vases, as always, are an inspiration. Thanks Julie.
Thank you Sarah – tulip fire is such a horrible virus! The advice is not to replant an area with tulips for at least two years so I will be planting in new beds next year too. If your new bulbs are growing anywhere near the site of the infected bulbs I would dig them up and destroy them too after they finish flowering – it is frustrating but if they develop the virus whilst they are dormant it will remain active in your soil. I have had a quick look but am not sure about the varieties – it is so hard in a photo when so many varieties are quite similar. I often forget to label mine and end up trawling the internet trying to remember what I planted!
I planted the same Sarah Raven collection in a big old washtub on the front lawn and the first two tulips are just poking their heads up. Too soon to take photos but when they are a bit further on I will definitely be taking some!
I love your glass jar in your first photo.
Thank you Sara – I am sure you will love your tulips when they flower. That glass jar was a very cheap acquisition from a floristry supplies warehouse but it is one of my favourites.
Beautiful collection! Ronaldo is simply great, I have it in my garden from bulbs planted in autumn.
http://timpingradina.blogspot.ro/2016/04/zile-cu-lalele-13-ronaldo-sue.html
Thank you Anca _ I am popping over to have a look.
Lovely collection of tulips especially La Belle Epoque. I did my bulb order yesterday to ensure early delivery and luckily I ordered La Belle Epoque even though it wasn’t one of “my” colours. I love tulips that die well.
You are very organised Christina!! Where do you get your bulbs from? I have started to think about an order but that is as far as it has gone. Do you put all your bulbs in the fridge and if so do you have a spare fridge to house them in?
Gosh, such a beautiful tulip collection, big like 🙂 PS: I shall post the fuchsia next monday.
Thank you Anna – I will let you know when it arrives.
Oh that’s a most attractive combination of tulips Julie. Sarah Raven certainly has an artistic eye for tulip colour groupings as well as for dahlias.
I have to be really strict with myself when I browse her catalogue. Here my ‘Bruine Wimpel’ has opened before ‘La Belle Epoque’ but maybe it’s down to the staggered order that I planted them in. I’m really looking forward to seeing the latter open especially after reading your comments. Sorry to read about the tulip fire 🙁
Thank you Anna. I do find that collections of tulips rarely come into flower at the same time but as long as the colours are complimentary I actually like the succession of blooms. I know what you mean about being strict with the catalogue – it is so hard not to want everything!
Your tulips are lovely Julie. What a nightmare getting that virus though. I also love the way tulips age in a vase and droop and drop petals!
Thank you Cathy – it is always frustrating when things don’t go to plan isn’t it!
Yes, how awful to hear about the virus – brings it home to us that it could happen to any of us… Good job you still have others to enjoy – I like the look of La Belle Epoque especially. Thanks for sharing Julie
Thank you Cathy – I am just glad that I have enough space to grow tulips in other areas for a couple of years – I am amazed at how quickly this virus has spread through the cutting garden – I need to do more research to try and establish how I have got it.
Your tulips are lovely. Hope the virus is quickly eradicated in the beds–heartbreaking to lose them. The tulips photographed in decline show such grace and beauty. Have a great week Julie.
Thanks so much, can’t get enough of tulips and will look at your Pininterest board, Julie. I had some tulip fire this year as well. Remedial measures as per yours and I hope I have restrained it.