The pastel Darwin hybrid tulips have exploded into bloom into the front yard as they do every year, but I'm especially enjoying a bold colored new display in the backyard.
Above is 'Palmyra,' which is my new favorite this year. It's similar to 'Black Hero' but earlier blooming and more maroon.
'Palmyra' is planted with 'Orange Princess' and 'Negrita' in the main sunny bed in the northwest corner of the backyard.
Happy spring! The bright sun shining on these colors makes my heart swell.
Several chartreuse Euphorbia polychroma are also blooming with the tulips. This is a fabulous perennial for a long period of early color that repeats every year, but it needs to be deadheaded carefully after bloom as the sap can cause a rash but it reseeds heavily if not cut back.
'Orange Princess' is a sport of 'Princess Irene' and has lovely dark flames on the outsides of the petals. You don't see them during the day when it's open wide, but in the evening they are visible.
The west path is in bloom with 'Crown Princess Mary' double pink tulips as well as purple aubretia and 'Blue Spike' muscari.
I planted 'Exotic Emperor' tulips in the white garden last fall and they're pretty with fluffy variegated white aubretia at their feet.
It's funny to me how I always seem to have too many bulbs to plant in fall but never enough blooming in spring. I've just made several bulb orders from Brent and Becky's Bulbs, White Flower Farm, and John Scheepers, so I'm already looking forward to those new additions for next spring.
Our mild winter turned frigid and snowy at the beginning of February and continued to pile up snow until the middle of March. But now we're enjoying beautiful spring weather and colorful flowers. I've been doing a lot of planting and transplanting, so as always I'm looking forward to seeing how my changes play out later in the season.
