Whoa! Them tulips is gorgeous! Spotted in South Kensington on Monday - bright huh? Now I'm wondering whether Kensington and Chelsea happened upon this outrageous three-way colour combination out of, a) big-time expenditure, b) utter stylishness, or just c) luck.
Getting two colours of tulip to combine is tricky enough, but it can be done. Any tulip will work with white. A red and a yellow, as long as they're bright enough. Yet difficulties abound - flowering times out of sync, heights too different or not different enough.... My god it's a minefield.
But to get three colours to work together at the same time is genius. In K&C's border, red and yellow lily-flowered tulips are backed up by a smaller magenta lily-flowered, and then a load of white ones too. Amazing. It ought to look like a total jumble sale, but in fact it looks great. (Especially when you consider there's also masses of daffodils and some slightly random polyanthus busting the bed's spectrum possibilities too.)
Anyway, I soon got to the bottom of this outbreak of stylish gardening. The bed is directly opposite the Institut Francais, on the leyline between it and the local Fromagerie. At that rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the gardener concerned had directly channelled La Bruni.
My guess is a) and c).
My tulips always seem to bend over as soon as they start looking good. Maybe I should ghettoise them a bit rather than spreading their joy around the garden?
Posted by: Rose | Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 09:35 AM
Have they got enough water? Especially if they're in pots, they can really get weak when it comes to flowering. I would guess that even in a week like this one, tulips in pots need watering every day it doesn't rain. I'd be interested to know if anyone else agrees / thinks I'm an idiot etc.
Posted by: emma townshend | Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 09:44 AM
You are spot on the money, Emma. Tulips in pots will sulk big time if not watered through the winter. Instead of cups of love you get skanky scutterbugs.
Posted by: JamesA-S | Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 10:20 AM
I think we tend to think of tulips as being slightly mainstream and naff but used in the right way they can be fantastic. I went to Hidcote at exactly this time last year and they had a [outdoor] 'room' of tulips in yellow, pink, cerise, burgundy, and orangey all mixed in with daffodils. It looked absolutely brilliant, slightly meadowy, and all the better for being mixed in with trained roses and established trees.
So La Bruni doesn't necessarily have a monopoly on great style.
Posted by: Kevin Spacey | Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 10:50 AM