FOTD: Doubling up



Horticultural purists aren’t big fans of doubles. They feel hybridizers can unnecessarily complicate a simple form, making it fussy and ungainly. I don’t like all doubles, but I do enjoy double tulips. Most are scented and they seem to last longer that the singles, especially Black Hero, the double of Queen of the Night. The ones here are Montreaux, as forced by the local botanical gardens for their spring flower show. Double tulips, for the most part don’t seem to buckle under their own weight.


This can’t be said for double daffodils, which emerge earlier and can get clobbered by spring rains. They stems don’t hold up the way tulip stems do. I’ve had these Obdams for years, and they invariably end up face down in the mud. But they’re still lovely.

Comments

Celia said…
When these photo posts appear in Google reader, all I see is:
Celia said…
(Interesting, all the code I pasted vanished. Anyway, it is font definitions and html color codes, etc,)
EAL said…
Hi Celia,

Yeah I see that--no idea why!
Commonweeder said…
I think double tulips are gorgeous.I never thought much about double daffs - and I don't have any except for the antique frilly Van Sion.
Unknown said…
Have you ever thought about using plant supports, so the daffs don't fall into the mud? You can use the type that interlink and form a sort of fence around a bunch, or you could use peony supports, as long as they are short enough for the flower to come through the top.
It' usually best to put up your supports as the flowers are coming up, so they are in place.
Jody

Popular Posts