Passionate Tulips

The backyard tulips have been in peak bloom for the past week, and the blend of dark pink, purple, deep red and rosy-orange has felt bold and exciting. 

It has been fun to see the mix of different shapes.  This tulip at front might be 'Purple Pride,' and it has matured into this vase shape right before dropping its petals.

Double pink Margarita is a great performer for me.  The bulbs from two years ago have multiplied and rebloomed well this spring, and the blooms last a long time on their tall, sturdy stems.  Lily-shaped Merlot is blooming at right of Margarita.  It is supposed to be a good perennializer as well.

Double Orange Princess has also come back for a second spring of bloom.  I wish I had done a better job of planting it at the front of the bed, as its short stature is sometimes blocked when it's growing behind taller tulips.  Single purple Negrita was planted perhaps five years ago and continues to bloom each spring. 

Palmyra is a big favorite, and it has come back well for the second spring.  I didn't catch a good shot of the blooms of double Uncle Tom, but that tulip is even darker than Palmyra and blooms earlier than Black Hero.

Here's another cluster of Margarita tulips . They're so fluffy and pretty!

Margarita with Merlot at the base.  A windstorm last weekend snapped the heads off several of my Blue Spectacle double tulips, but  Margarita was unharmed.

Here is a final view of the bed, with yellow cushion spurge (Euphorbia polychroma) happily blooming along with the passionate tulips.