Garden Photo of the Day

Tulips Mean Spring

Spring has sprung in the South!

By Fine Gardening editors

For all you northern gardeners who are getting sick of waiting for spring, let’s take a trip down south, where spring color is in full swing!

Caroline Williams is enjoying her spring blooms in Louisiana. She has been gardening at her present location for 26 years. Each year comes with new problems; some of her solutions are successes, and some are failures, but one thing she has learned is to never give up—that there is more than one way to do a thing and that she must always try, try, and try again. This year she is especially proud of her tulips. She tried something different and planted them in an old bathtub; her reward is an awesome display of beauty. In the future, she will be planting more bulbs/flowers in old tubs or other creative containers.

A large saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana, Zones 4–9) in full bloom presides over the old bathtub, which is overflowing with richly colored tulips.

Tulips do that rich scarlet shade so very well. In their native habitat, the wild ancestors of garden tulips use their red color to attract the beetles that pollinate their flowers. In the garden, that brilliant color works just as well to lure humans into cultivating them!

Bright orange, feathering gently into yellow.

A soft, delicate pink contrasts with the riot of colors around it.

This is perhaps my favorite color for a tulip—warm pink blending into orange, looking like some kind of exotic tropical fruit. It’s just the thing you need to celebrate the arrival of spring.

When it comes to tulips, more is more! Plant lots, and plant them close together like this so they can make one brilliant, over-the-top display.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    treasuresmom 03/15/2019

    Great pics. Did you chill your tulips before planting them out?

    1. carolineyoungwilliams 03/18/2019

      Thanks treasuresmom, Yes, I did. They were actually given to me as a gift in August and I kept them in the refrigerator until the last of October.

  2. User avater
    meander_michaele 03/15/2019

    Love the vibrancy of the color mix you have achieved with your tulip selections. They definitely sing the song of "Spring is Here"...in all its glory. Did you go the route of planting them in a container to hopefully deter squirrels? And, I second the question asked by treasures mom about the chilling?

    1. carolineyoungwilliams 03/18/2019

      Thanks meander, Yes to both questions. Due to the trenches, I assumed it was moles that were wreaking havoc on my bulbs; so to keep from being out done, I decided to try bulbs again in containers. I did put them in the refrigerator until we got some cold weather. I planted the bulbs touching to make a better impact.

  3. cheryl_c 03/15/2019

    Beautiful tulips - and what a nice contrast against the old tub. Tell us about the circular orange decorations on your privacy fence - they appear to be antique, but I can't figure out what they are - and are they cast iron? Thanks for sharing your spring color!

    1. carolineyoungwilliams 03/18/2019

      Thanks Cheryl, all 3 pieces came from Hobby Lobby. The larger piece is a candle holder and the smaller one is a sunburst. This is the results after 2 coats of reddish-orange spray paint.

  4. btucker9675 03/15/2019

    Beautiful - thanks for sharing these joyous colors with us!

    1. carolineyoungwilliams 03/18/2019

      Thank you BTucker, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Sharing pictures of my flowers is my pleasure.

  5. User avater
    bdowen 03/17/2019

    Spectacular close up photography! Thank you for sharing your garden with us northerners who are looking forward to spring flowers.

    1. carolineyoungwilliams 03/18/2019

      Thank you BDOwen, It was truly my pleasure.

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