The Lone Tulip

Tulips are such a wonderful spring flower. I will plant groupings of 7 or more in the fall and then they give a fabulous display the following spring, and that is about it. If I am lucky, they may last for two seasons. That grouping typically winds down to just a lone tulip as above.

Tulips have different varieties that have different qualities. The most perennial tulip seems to be the Single Late Tulips. Within this class of tulips, is one named Maureen. It is a wonderful tall white tulip with a pleasing yellow center when fully open. Maureen has been in my garden for many years. I believe this grouping has returned for over ten years which is quite remarkable for a tulip in northeast Ohio.

Another one that is long lasting has been Queen of Night, a stunning dark tulip.

Queen of Night has returned although I did note this spring it seems to be fewer. Another frequent returner has been Shirley.

Shirley starts out white and then begins to fill in with a soft lavender color.

For whatever reason fringed tulips also seem to return more than just a few seasons.

Another reliable return bloom can be seen on the class of Greigii tulips. The one pictured above is Red Riding Hood. The tulips in this class generally have unusual foliage and they bloom early. The Greigii tulips are also short.

Pinocchio

The problem with this tulip is that as it pops up from the ground, it seems to be a favorite food for rabbits and groundhogs. The little rodents don’t seem to like the other tulips, not sure why this one is so tasty. Maybe it is just a matter of timing as this tulip emerges earlier than the other tulips. This has happened repeatedly and is so frustrating. I would rather the squirrels dig up and replant the bulbs, than have the rabbits chew down the foliage and flower buds.

I planted over 100 of the Red Riding Hood, and everyone in the grouping was chewed up during early spring. Only a few survived. This has happened three years in a row, so I give up. I will dig these up and replant with something else.

I have the random yellow and red tulips also blooming. These are often dug up and replanted by my squirrel landscapers and the tulip becomes yet another lone tulip in my garden.

Due to such a cool spring, the daffodils have really hung on, which is a benefit of the cool temperatures. This is Golden Dawn. A late blooming daffodil.

This little daffodil just showed up a few years ago. I don’t know who it is or where it came from. Squirrels typically don’t dig up daffodil bulbs, so I don’t know how this happened. That is one fun part of gardening.

I noticed recently that there have been a few political ads appearing on my garden blog. I realize that Word Press supports personal blogs through ads, however, I had just thought that the ads would be related to the topic of the blog, guess not. Previously I did see ads for Michigan Bulb or Springhill, which is just fine with me. These political ads are not OK with me, and I want everyone to understand that I do not choose the ads that appear. They are not reflective of who I am. This does reflect who I am.

I wonder what ads will follow this?

At any rate, Happy Gardening! We all need some happiness at times like this.