A Beautiful End

Frosted 'St George' tulips in my patio pots

Winter returned to VP Gardens over the weekend in the form of two sharp frosts, which means these 'St George' tulips won't be standing proud on their name day next week.

Yesterday's sunshine allowed me to capture their sparkle with my camera, so I can at least admire them for a while longer here on the blog. Frosted plants often look their worst - or prettiest depending on which way you look at it - at first light, owing to the additional physiological drought the frost brings.

A few hours of warm sunshine can bring a remarkable recovery, as it did with the daffodils, violas and hellebores elsewhere in the garden. Alas, it was not to be with these tulips and the opened flowers on my neighbours magnolia tree.

Luckily we both have flowers waiting in the wings. The magnolia has plenty more to come from the buds still protected by their furry coats. I have a couple more pots of these tulips, whose noses are just beginning to peer above the soil. I planted them up quite late (in January), because I'd forgotten about them. With hindsight that looks to have been a good plan.

The same potted Tulipa 'St George' on my patio in April 2015

Here are the tulips in happier times, captured for last year's April Blooms Day. That post shows happier magnolias too. The tulips had almost double the number of flowers this year, indicating they are one of the better 'doers' in the world of tulips in my garden.

What - if any garden casualties did you have over the weekend? Or were you better prepared than I was, and brought out your protective fleece? Which tulips do well in your garden?

Comments

  1. Sue Garrett18 April 2016 at 08:55

    We had some frosty mornings but nothing appears to have suffered too badly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP18 April 2016 at 09:58

      I thought they'd be robust enough like the daffodils etc, but I think their being in pots and raised up on a plinth may have exposed them just a tad too much. The tulips in other pots closer to the house are doing well :)

      Delete
  2. dogwooddays18 April 2016 at 10:24

    I was camping with hubby, 3 and 7 year old at zero degrees (not one of my wiser moves!) Tulips looked beautiful on our return, but we are most definitely frosted and wilted!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP18 April 2016 at 14:13

      Yikes - I think I'd wilt camping in those temperatures! You're hardier than I am ;) Welcome to Veg Plotting :)

      Delete
  3. Flighty18 April 2016 at 15:25

    What a shame. Thankfully my tulips are still okay. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete

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