Wednesday, May 18, 2011

What’s Blooming {Tulips}

Orange Tulip

It’s raining.  Again.  It’s hard to stay positive when everything is so damp and dreary, I know.  I was at the flower market this morning and in a moment of weakness I caved and bought myself a bunch of these orange beauties.  Like you all, I too need a little color in my life these days.  Yes, I’m usually surrounded by vibrant blooms, but even I needed a little pick-me-up at on my desk this week. 

Few things are more beautiful than a simple bunch of tulips spilling out of a vase.  Groupings of the Dutch variety, the elegant long stems of French, or the ruffled petals of the Parrott, it doesn’t matter.  I love them all.  I take full advantage of their abundance while in season and it saddens me that they are quickly making their exit.

So, as an homage to their simple beauty, a post on the last of our spring bulbs in this series…

P.J. Redouté

Tulips are perennial bulb plants with showy flowers found in a wide range of shades (basically anything other than true blue).  They belong to the family Liliaceae and are grown in gardens beds, containers, or for harvest as fresh-cut flowers. Depending on the species, tulip plants can range in height from as short as 4 inches to as high as 28 inches.  Strap shaped leaves with a waxy coating surround a single stem that usually produces only one flower per stem, though a few species bear multiple flowers. The showy, generally cup or star-shaped flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical.

 

Enjoy them while they last!

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