A Few Glorious Days in April

Published on by Catherine

The month of April, whether at the start, middle or end conjures up thoughts of cold winds, frost here & there, lots of rain and sometime even snow. But who would have imagined that at the end of April we would be seeking out shade in the garden to escape from the heat. While temperatures here on the Scottish west coast were lower than further south – for me, it was hot. It lasted only a few days, but those days were wonderful!

Temperatures have dropped now, but it’s still pleasant enough to allow me to get back into the greenhouse and continue potting on small plants and seedlings. Meantime, Six on Saturday is with us again, and here are my selected photographs and perhaps unsurprisingly, for this time of the year, they are all tulips.

Tulip ‘Ballerina’. The beautiful (and my favourite) tulip ‘Ballerina’ is in full bloom now. Last year I was disappointed by the shape and colour, but this year, they are perfect. Almost.

Tulip ‘Ballerina’

Multi-flowering Tulip ‘Ballerina’. Several of the tulips have double heads with double stems that appear to be fused together and travel right up to the flowers, without separating. On others, the stem breaks to support each head individually. I’m intrigued.

Single & twin-headed Tulip ‘Ballerina’

Tulip ‘Ballerina’ on Black. To show the tulip’s two heads in more detail, I picked one and placed it on black card on the greenhouse floor and photographed it from above. Look at the beautiful curves of the tulip.

Multi-flowering Tulip ‘Ballerina’

Tulip ‘Ballerina’ Flamed. This tulip isn’t meant to look like this, but I have to admit, I think it looks very attractive. This is the only tulip ‘Ballerina’ bulb that has grown like this. It’s shorter that the others, but the fiery markings make it stand out from the crowd. I’ve had to do some reading, and The RHS states that tulip breaking virus, (TBV), vectored by aphids, causes ‘breaks’ (streaks of a different colour) in the flowers. Or more simply, could it be a wrong tulip bulb placed in the order?

Tulip ‘Ballerina’ with a difference

Tulip ‘Uncle Tom’. The peony-like blooms of this luscious, mahogany-red tulip has strong, short stems that makes it perfect for a pot or at the front of a border. I’ve been growing ‘Uncle Tom’ for several years and it’s value for money, not only because it’s such a lovely flower, but because it lasts slightly longer in bloom than many other tulips.

  • Tulip ‘Uncle Tom’
  • Silky, dark, peony-like blooms

Tulip ‘Violetta’. This is a dream of a tulip. It’s a little, delicate multi-headed species tulip. One for the garden borders when it has finished flowering. It has been sitting on my small bistro table just outside the greenhouse, where I can admire it up close. It’s beautiful closed, and beautiful when open. Adorable, delicate and much sturdier than it looks.

  • Petite ‘Violetta’
  • Sitting on the table
  • Definitely a keeper

If you want to join in or see how other gardens are looking right now, pop over to Jim’s blog at Garden Ruminations!

That’s all from me today. Enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend and let’s all hope for good weather!

Catherine x

31 thoughts on “A Few Glorious Days in April”

  1. Everyone was able to enjoy summer before summer. It was wonderful, as you said: beautiful weather, blue skies, and reasonable warmth. Everything you need!
    The two-headed tulip is truly stunning! And the one that isn’t from the ballerina group is pretty too.

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    1. Glad to hear that you also had good weather in France. Do you think the ‘flamed’ tulip is an altogether different flower, Fred? I think I’ll contact Farmer Gracy to see if they can throw a little bit of light on these two lovely oddities.

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    1. I think I need to contact Farmer Gracy and ask about the tulips, Jude. They’re all rather lovely, but my curiosity won’t be satisfied until I get an expert verdict! 🤔 Enjoy your holiday.

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    1. Thank you. 😊 ‘Ballerina’ is a very popular tulip and easy to see why. ‘Violetta’ is new to me this year – it’s very pretty.

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  5. I love tulips but I have always had to treat them as annuals as I have never had much success with them carrying over to the next year. I don’t have the problem now but I used to have terrible trouble with squirrels who just loved the bulbs. Your “double” tulip is fascinating, it looks as if the stems have been fasciated which can be a side-effect of a viral infection.

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    1. Mostly, I do the same and buy fresh bulbs every year. But the little species tulips do return reliably. T. ‘Ballerina’ has the reputation of being another that has a good chance of hanging around for a few years. I will contact the supplier to ask about the ‘double’. It won’t be a complaint – because I rather like them. 😁

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    1. ‘Uncle Tom’ looks most dramatic in overcast light, and sunlight brings out the red in the petals. It’s a beautiful flower and holds up well against the weather here.

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  8. After seeing the tulips at Kukenhof and now yours, I am warming towards perhaps buying more next year and treating them as disposable at the end of the season. I suppose it is not different from buying annuals to grow in a tub.

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    1. I’ve often toyed with the idea of going to Kukenhof, but never quite carried through with my thoughts! I’m always reluctant to throw tulip bulbs away after they’ve flowered. Some have occasionally returned the following year, but the lovely little species tulips are the most reliable. It’s true what you say when you compare them to buying annuals, though annuals do flower a lot longer.

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  10. Stunning tulips, I have some species ones but they don’t seem to flower too well and I need to work out why.
    As you say, Violetta is definitely a keeper!

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. We’re having another dry spell of weather and I’m going to have to get the hose out soon. I shouldn’t hope for rain as we generally get too much of it. 😄

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  12. Those are stunning Tulips! I planted some new Tulips last fall that are blooming now and the colors are similar to ‘Ballerina.’ The flaming colors of the red and yellow are stunning. Your other Tulips are lovely, too. Happy Six!

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  13. Stunning photos of your beautiful tulips. Ballerina is certainly the star of your post in all her varieties. I am rather fond of the tiny species as they do reliably repeat

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    1. I need more of the species type in the borders, Pauline. There are some in the front garden that have been flowering for many years, and multiplying well.

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  14. Absolutely stunning photographs of Ballerina Catherine! I really love that tulip too, but have never seen a double one like that, nor any flaming. Placing one on black card to photograph is such an excellent way to show it off. Tulip Violetta is also gorgeous. I always think the little species tulips look good in pots. We had our bank holiday on Thursday so I had forgotten yours is still to come – have a lovely day!

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    1. I haven’t seen anything like it on Ballerinas either. I’d be quite happy to have more of the same next year, but I think this is probably a one-off.

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