Last gasp of spring

At least as far as my property is concerned. When the Norway maples fully leaf out, that’s it for the front (grassless) yard. And that’s why I go nuts with tulips at this time of year, and why I am happy to treat hybrid tulips as annuals. May is the only month that I can have a semi-colorful front garden. But that’s probably the best, because tulips should be a front garden type of flower.


I grow a lot of species tulips that do perennialize, but I have never seen species tulips as big and vibrant as these (above). They are the t. vvedensyi. I wondered when I got the bulbs—they were much larger than the average species bulbs. Yes, I realize this picture looks like I photoshopped it in, but the digital camera cannot handle these colors. They’re just too bright. Could these possibly come back year after year? They don’t even look real now.


Elsewhere in the front garden areas and stoop, I have Blushing Lady, Mrs. Scheepers (not yet out), Queen of the Night (in front containers), Orange Princess (front containers), and the remaining Spring Green viridiflora (near the vvedenskyi).