Any one who reads this blog will know that I have had a nightmare winter with a badger digging up all my tulips that I had planted in the back garden borders. Luckily I had decided not to spend too much on tulips for the back garden this year as I wanted to see how well the previous year’s tulips did. Instead I bought mainly narcissus as well as some tulips for the front garden. I must have known that the tulip crazed badger would be coming to visit. Anyway, late in the bulb buying season when there wasn’t much left I decided to empty out the tin bath of the lavender plants that weren’t doing that well and fill it with tulips – I think I saw something similar on Gardeners World. The only bulbs I could find were in the bargain bin at the local DIY store and so I ended up with two packets of mixed and a couple of packets of another variety, something like Angelique but possibly not.
I filled the bath with compost and grit to help with drainage and packed the bulbs in tightly, you can see how tightly in this earlier blog post. I was a little worried about how tightly they were packed in but I needn’t have worried as, I think you will agree, the bath looks fab and I am really chuffed with it. Especially as the badger didn’t discover the patio, he would have to go down some steps to access, it and so instead of a mass display in the garden I am satisfying my love of tulips with this display.
Although of course there are the front garden Tulipa Ballerina which have opened and have been a triumph in my humble view. My son has persuaded me that I need to balance them with some more on the other side of the lawn and I think I might even go across the bottom as well – why not!! I was worried that they would look a bit like a bedding scheme planted straight down the side of the lawn so I tried not to plant them too regimentally although it wasn’t that easy.
This is the view from the front door which I am really enjoying at the moment especially when the morning sun lights them up and they are damp from dew. They are interplanted with some small headed alliums which hopefully will follow on with a similar effect but in purple – we shall have to wait and see.