tulips: May update

All 6 bulbs of the white tulips bloomed at the beginning of May. It was a very pretty sight!

The black T. Paul Scherer and black parrot tulips bloomed though with limited success. Only two black TPS tulips bloomed and one black parrot bloomed.

I did not have any issues with the tulips while they developed and grew until it blossomed and I found aphids on the underside of the leaves! I was horrified and dismayed. I only know this because one of the black parrot tulips was drained of color and withered-looking. When I went to inspect, I discovered a colony of aphids sucking the life out of it!

I was fortunate enough to take descent photos of the tulips because as soon as the tulips bloomed, our zone was hit with heavy rain and strong winds. We have a balcony garden so our plants are sheltered from the rain but the winds really beat our plants especially the tulips. All the petals of the white and black tulips were blown off. A couple of the white tulip stems snapped off, too. The black parrot survived the windy abuse. 

Even after the petals were blown off, the tulips were attacked by aphids. The planter with the white tulips were infested. I turned over leaves and saw a colony. It was a gross and upsetting sight. Whatever is left of the foliage looks terrible. I was going to wait for the leave to yellow before digging them up but now that the leaves are ruined, I will dig up the tulips and inspect their condition and store the good ones until autumn for replanting. 

heirloom irises

TH just sent me these photos he took of the irises that have finally bloomed. I did notice the flower buds this weekend but didn't think they would blossom so soon.

Aren't they pretty?

HONORABILE

MRS. HORACE DARWIN

sprouting forth

Something has finally sprouted from one of these two pots that have laid bare while the other planters have sprouted forth green life. I still don't know what is growing. It's either the florentine tulip or coral lilies. Eventually, the mystery will be revealed.

tulips: April update

The white tulips were the first to peak and two have officially bloomed since I started this post. The other white tulips are at the brink of blooming. It's quite a sight to behold - a planter of white tulips! On closer inspection, the insides have a beautiful yellow accent.



The next tulips to bloom will be the purple ones. The flower head grew fuller since last week. The color is also more developed. Hopefully when it blooms, the white hyacinths will still be around and not faded.



The tulip I'm most excited about is the parrot type. At first I wasn't too keen on parrot tulips but after a bit of research and seeing images of the parrot variety, I became infatuated with their petals that showed so much flair! I am waiting for this black parrot to bloom. I love that I can see the feathering feature of this particular tulip.



The Orange Favorite tulip that I bought with the Black Parrot turned out to be disappointing. I planted both these varieties in the same planter but I don't see signs of the Orange Favorite. I'm wondering if these heirloom types require a bit more nurturing before they bloom or they bloom in the second season after initial planting? It makes me wonder about the condition of the bulbs. I don't want to dig them up just yet. I'll wait until tulip season ends. I was really looking forward to a purple and orange arrangement of flowers on the balcony.

In any case, growing and planting tulips have been an interesting experience. I realize now how to better plant them for next year. I read that tulips prefer a sandy soil so I think i will mix in some sand in the soil for replanting in fall 2013. And I definitely want to layer the bulbs again so the planters will seem like the have continuous show of flowers.

strawberry plants: year 2 April update

The strawberry plants are coming back and they seem to be returning with a bushier growth. I noticed one of the plants has a flower already!

There are a couple of strawberry plants that look like they may not have made it to the 2013 growing season but I remain hopeful.

From my reading sources of growing strawberry plants, the second year is supposed to yield more fruit as opposed to the first year. I'm looking forward to some tasty strawberries especially of the alpine kind.

hyacinths

As the Jeanne d'arc crocuses faded, the white hyacinths bloomed! They're such a pretty sight to see amongst the surrounding green foliage of other plants.

our japanese maples

Our dwarf Japanese maples are doing very well ever since we applied compost and rearranged their location on the balcony. They seem to be happier. Their leaves are coming in with such vibrant color.

The Koto No Ito seems to have tiny blossoms as they sprout forth new weeping foliage. The beautiful red leaves of the Tamukeyama fan out like delicate blades. And the initial feather like foliage of the Beni Hime have revealed their small star like leaves.