It’s a shimmering-sea, wispy-clouds-in-the-blue-sky kind of day today and far too lovely to be indoors doing chores. I’ve been outside planting (belatedly) a load of Anemone coronaria corms, doing my morning snail patrol in the greenhouse (three suckers dispatched) and picking a few choice blooms for my Monday vase.
The tulips are strutting their stuff in the spring sunshine – they lift my spirits so. I can’t quite articulate why they give me such pleasure. I think it’s partly because they are so graceful with the blooms held aloft on upright stems. I love their perkiness. My stand-out favourite is ‘Ballerina’ and I’ve included two in my vase. The other tulip is ‘Brown Sugar’. One day I will have so many tulips that I can pick armfuls of them without denting the impact in the garden and have vases of them all over the house. One day…
The three narcissi blooms are ‘Felindre’, another favourite. The flower-head starts off palest of pale yellows, folded and nodding, almost like a fritillary, and then unfurls, opening out into a bright white with lovely orange-edged cup. The bonus is that they’re also deliciously scented. I’ve included a few sprigs of forget-me-nots which are looking particularly lovely in the garden right now, a snip of Euphorbia (unknown variety) and a few pieces of honeysuckle foliage (also unknown).
Cathy has some lovely tulips in her Monday vase, so do pop over to have a look and at other vases from around the globe.
Just a quick reference back to my previous post which resulted in some interesting and lovely comments (thank you) and provoked much thought here. I suspect it’s one of those subjects that could be debated until the cows come home 🙂 Have a great week.
acoastalplot 
How pretty. A really lovely April arrangement. I love tulips too, specially Ballerina. I spend a fortune on them each year but I never have nearly enough. I’ d like to fill the garden with them.
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Haha – I love your reference to the armfuls of tulips!! I was reading over the weekend that it is just as effective planting the anemones at this time of year, or summer even, as they don’t really have a favourite season, and that there are advantages in them not sitting in the cold and damp over the winter. The colour of Ballerina mirrors the centre of Felindre perfectly – thanks for sharing
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I love seeing these special tulips in your vase and mixed with the coordinating narcissi blooms!
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Such a summery picture. My forget-me-nots have forgotten to grow this year. I can’t find them anywhere!
Your post of last week has been replaying in my mind. You really did strike a chord and you are certainly NOT alone!
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Orange and blue is a really wonderful combination that we don’t see often enough. I love how the color at the center of the Narcissus picks up the glorious color of the tulips but the blue forget-me-nots put the arrangement over the top!
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A belated thank you 🙂
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Ballerina is my all time favourite too and I keep buying them every year, planting last year’s in the borders. I’m with you on the armful of tulips too. One day…
Best wishes
Ellie
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I’m making notes of tulips to add…
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Ballerina is a lovely tulip, so elegant and tall.
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Lovely combination. I admire those tulips, something I’ve never had success with.
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I always enjoy seeing your Monday flowers. I love tulips but as don’t have enough to pick it is only the ones that are damaged that make it inside. I really should pick more then I can appreciate and look at them for longer periods inside. Sarah x
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I know what you mean – my plan is to one day have loads so I can pick more!
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These colors are just perfect together, Sam. It’s like these flowers were made to be put side by side in your jar this week.
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Thank you Jennifer 🙂
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This is a lovely vase, the colours are beautifully complementary and then you notice the fiorget-me-not blue which brings it alive. Just perfect.
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Such beautiful, clear colours! Thank you for sharing x
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Your red tulips are so beautiful, I have trouble cutting them too. I love the red-orange rim on the daffodil, and I like the Poeticus-type special fragrance. I hope your Forget-Me-Nots are not getting as carried away as mine are. They all make a lovely vase, Sam, so bright in the sunshine. I see so many pretty flowers on IaVoM, I just planted some Anemones as well, 2 are coming up, and some Freesias, 1 is coming up, so maybe we will have some new pretty flowers soon.
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I am sure you have also enjoyed the sweet flagrance of Ballerina. Thanks for sharing!
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Yes, it smells lovely, doesn’t it.
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Tulips are wonderful. Waiting for them to get going here in Nova Scotia.
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What a great colour combination. Brown Sugar is on my to-buy list.
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Oh, ‘Ballerina’ is one of the best tulips! The color combined with the “lily-flowering” shape – wonderful.
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