The Great Spring Bulb Challenge - The Tulips

'Happy Generation' and 'Ile de France'

Last fall, Chris Tidrick threw down the gauntlet. He and I had been talking about these bulbs and those, which ones and how many we were planting, and as we both approached the 1K mark, he issued the challenge: Could we break 1000?

How long does it take a gardener to place an order for more bulbs?

Not very, and we both exceeded the milestone. Chris has been sharing his beauties as they bloom, on both Facebook and on his website, From the Soil. We both knew we'd be delirious as our gardens exploded with color this spring and I have no doubt that we'll both be planting even more this fall. (More species tulips and more daffodils for me!)

There will definitely be more 'China Town' tulips at Our Little Acre. I love
the foliage and the blooms.

By the time fall comes around and it's time to plant bulbs for spring blooming, we're mostly tired of gardening enough to not want to dig all those holes. But looking at the big picture and the promise of spring is motivation enough to soldier on and we're now reaping the joys of all that labor.

Here are some of the results of that 1000 bulb challenge. Some of them have names attached to them. Others were either a part of a mixture when they were purchased and the name isn't known, or I neglected to put a label on them when they were planted. We'll look at the tulips first:

Though we're tired of the rain and cold, the cooler temperatures mean we
get to enjoy the blooms longer.

When it's warm and the sun shines, the tulips open up. This is 'Daydream'.

These are some of the largest tulips I've ever seen!

Tulipa 'Coors' just might be my favorite tulip, with its unique coloring and
mottled foliage. In reality, I'm not sure I can choose a favorite, but this
one ranks high.

'Coors' is beautiful no matter which way you look at it!

'Elegant Lady' is a lily-flowering tulip that greets front door
visitors to our home.

As its petals fall away, 'Happy Generation' bares its soul...

'Gavota' is one of my favorite hybrid tulips.

'Yonina' is a lily-flowering tulip with a white edge.

Don't forget to look on the inside, too! ('Yonina')

I love the color mix here, but I especially like the "black" ones.

'Prinses Irene' is a long-blooming, fragrant tulip that has been around for
centuries. This is its third spring in my garden and it looks better each year.

If you want drama in a tulip, get a parrot. This 'Flaming Parrot' is not only
frilly, it's HUGE!

 They were being weighted down by all the rain and some had gotten
broken off, so I cut most of them and brought them inside.

From the moment I discovered species tulips, I loved them. I've acquired many different ones and want still more. I like to say that they're tulips "the way God made 'em." Native to the Himalayan Mountains, species tulips are smaller, with much narrower foliage. They're pretty reliable about returning and naturalize well. I like their delicate features with their sometimes shocking colors within.

'Little Beauty' is my favorite among the species tulips.

'Persian Pearl' looks like an egg when a cloudy day keeps them closed up.

Can you see the bluish-purple blush around the yellow eyes? 
This is 'Persian Pearl' too.

'Little Princess'

Tulipa humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata' was the first species tulip I
acquired a couple of years ago. I love its shocking purple eye.

'Tinka', another favorite species tulip.

Tulipa 'Tarda'

This is 'Tarda' too, as seen from the outside. More subtle, but still beautiful!

'Lady Jane' is white on the inside...

...and bi-colored on the outside.

'Tubergen's Gem' is a larger form of Tulipa chrysantha, which we also have.

 These are 'Red Gem' species tulips behind Hosta 'White Christmas'.

In the next post, the daffodils will strut their stuff!