As a child I thought tulips were boring, but now I can’t resist them. Some have been with me for years.
Purissima, I think.
Very old, I don’t know the name, they come up year after year.
Others are new. I think this is called Shirley.
Some are a mixture, older Apricot Beauty and newer Angélique?
Don’t know, possibly Johann Strauss.
But in any grand plan there are always mavericks…
These should all be peach-coloured, no reds in this bed.
And these were a freebie with a weird name, that I cannot at present remember.
This evening I almost picked this narcissus and then noticed the charmingly camouflaged resident. I don’t remember seeing one like this before. However a quick search of the Internet suggests that it is an orange tip (the orange is only visible with the wings open).
The long-awaited greenhouse arrives tomorrow, the base is nearly finished.
An addition – Snakeshead Fritillary – thanks Andrew.
Green Writing Room 
Your tulips are beautiful and that insect on the narcissus is so very pretty. 🙂 Your garden posts are truly a delight to the eye.
Thanks, it is good to share the pleasure they give me.
An inspiration to try tulips again in our garden. Great photos. You have a delightful garden. We are now faced with the winter. This morning 9c.
It seems strange that only the other day I was envying you the onset of summer and now the seasons have switched for us both. 9c to 12c is about what we have here at the moment, but going up.
I had a similar attitude to tulips and ended up growing all sorts of varieties in my old Bishops Stortford garden. There were some excellent dwarf varieties as I recall. I’m not sure how well they would do in HK. Narcissi are very popular here for the lunar new year so I see no reason why tulips should not thrive but I’m told the daffs here don’t survive from season to season. Very odd. I have not tried. The other one I planted that did very well was Snakeshead Fritillary. Highly recommended. Good luck with the greenhouse, Hilary.
We are about 20 miles North-East of your old stamping ground; HK must be a very big contrast. I guess tulips like it cool, but sunny when they flower and hot and dry when they are dormant, does that fit with your currant climate. We planted one purple and one white Snakehead Fritillary when we came and they have very slowly multiplied. I tried to add a pic to this reply, but not sure it worked, so I have added it to the post above.
My gosh, Hilary… You are bathed in glorious color now! And your photographs are wonderful, too.
The early spring has been a great delight, this time last year very little was out.
Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful? Well, most of the time, at least.
Stunning Hilary – all your hard work during those winter months has clearly paid dividends. That is also the most exotic butterfly I have ever seen. It think it might be the rare ‘Flicked Dulux’
We’d better inform the experts about our sighting!
Like tulips – and like yours. Lovely pictures.
Thanks, it’s just point and snap with an old digital, I think the screen does a great kindness to simple photos.
I love all the different colours, I’m at home at the moment looking out the window and the daffs have all died and the garden just looks green with like straw sticks ‘they’re to protect the new growth’ Dad said, when I just asked why he didn’t pull them out because they’re messy 🙂
Aha, yes, I understand your dad. There is a tricky choice between clearing the winter mess and exposing the tender new growth to a late frost. We had a frost last night.
Your post brings back memories. When I was little my Dad’s friend told me if I closed my eyes, shouted Oi, and twirled around three times, a fairy would visit the tulips and leave a surprise (usually a sixpence or a sweet). It took me years to figure out why it only worked when he was there!!
I have some beautiful dark purplish black tulips in my front garden that put on a stunning display every year 🙂
I’m glad to have brought back such a charming memory. It’s funny how tulips always let you know when they are happy with their situation (or vice versa).
🙂