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This shot is from a large set of photos that Fernymoss took on 26 April. I wish I could claim this one as my own because I really love the angle and degree of textures he was able to get in this shot. And though I had tried to get a shot of this one last weekend, it was too windy and I didn't end up with anything I liked ... but then I wasn't going for this angle either! The colour is very true to the actual flower, which boasts a delicious shading of pinks, salmon and orange. (It too, fortunately, is a survivor!)
And since Boran2 liked the previous (closed up) shot of this Olympic Flame, the last of these favorites still around ... We will definitely be planting more of these in the Fall, along with the others. Actually as I recall, this particular variety isn't terribly expensive (but I think any decent Darwin type tulip under $1 is a good price), and it's pretty hardy and reliable, except when you have a spring like last year's around here ... Anyway, let's enjoy it while it lasts!
Tulips decimated this year ... whine whine whine ... send me some cheese to accompany it, will you please?
Ok, so it's not that bad, and I'm not really begging for cheese ... but if you do happen to have a nice, ripening triple crème brie, I'd be happy to take it off your hands! I might even share some with you, lol.
These two close ups are some of the survivors still left in the original bulb bed and by the sidewalk nearer the house. The first one,, perhaps my all time favorite, is Olympic Flame, and it looks like this is the last of the breed to make it. There used to be about eight of them and there were at least five last year. Even though it's a bit smaller than normal this year, it is managing to make a splash. There also used to be several yellow and red Parrot Tulips, but they too have disappeared.
This basic Red Darwin is the lone tulip in the bed with the primroses (coming soon) and I'm not really sure how it got there. Years ago I planted a bunch of those Peony type Tulips and for a couple of years, foliage came up, but never any blooms, and then they just disappeared. And to think, they were Martha Stewart brand bulbs we got at KMart! Anyway, when we first moved in we discovered there were about 3-5 basic red tulips scattered around what passed as a flower bed back then. We just let them do their thing, but this one appears to have wandered over, or accidentally been brought in (perhaps with some dirt?) and now likes to bloom when the primroses do. It's a nice contrast, so I'm happy that it's here ... you can never have too many red tulips, as I say, hehe. And they positively go with everything!
I took these on 26 April, 2008, using of course the S700! The learning curve is still kind of low due to busy work schedule and crappy weather lately, but so far I'm thrilled how this is working out ...
As much as I praise and love the Darwin varieties, it's Tulipa, "Olympic Flame" that truly embodies for me the perfect combination of sun and fire ... and what better variety to liven up a sunny spring day! And that this particular strain belongs to the Darwins is only testament to its dazzling staying power ... These are some of the original tulips we first planted in the small bulb bed out front, our first foray into planting spring bulbs back in about 1999. Way back then, we quickly filled this bed with various varieties of tulips, fancy and otherwise, as well as daffodils, snowdrops, crocus and Fritillaria michaelovski specimens. Certain ones have come and gone (mostly the fancier tulips, who never seem to last over time ... as I keep preaching) and a few remain, the most faithful bloomers of which are these lovely examples. There are also a few remaining "Parrot Feather" tulips (more on them soon), but for the most part, those tulips whose pictures originally dazzled and seduced us (such as the "Blue Tulips" that turned out to be mauve!) have moved on and just quit appearing over time.
Ok, you can see this coming, so I'll say it just one more time ... if you're going to go to the trouble of planting tulips, make the effort worth it! Darwins are by far the best way to go for years of dependable color ... go ahead and plant those hybridized poodles of the tulip world for a few years of unusual splash if you want, but you'll always come back to the Darwins in the end. I guess it's kind of like the old saying ... you date the flashy ones, but will eventually marry the Darwins. Well, that is, if you have what's commonly referred to as a "lick of sense" in your head. Barring unforeseen catastrophes (such as our disastrous recent cold spell), they will return to reward you and delight you for years to come ... long after the last ruffled petalcoat has left town.
These three shots were taken last year (4-22-06) on a gloriously sunny day, which really helps to show off the true range of fire you can get with Olympic Flame, thus justifying its rather high-falutin' moniker. All pretentions aside, they remain one of my all time favorite varieties ... so go ahead, click to enlarge them (or right click "view image" in Firefox) and get lost in the mesmerizing patterns of their striking inner bits!
I'll have some more different varieties up soon for you to compare with these so you can get a flavor of just how intricate the private regions of tulips can really be ... (Stay tuned, Olivia!)
And since this post was originally conceived of as a joint garden blog post, give a click here to see what Olivia has been doing with one of these!
