In a Vase on Monday: On Fire!

I promised you tulips today, but even I wasn’t expecting these ones, remnants from a previous planting in a pot now filled with Carex ‘Everillo’. I can remember buying some fiery tulips two or three years ago, but have no idea why I would have put them in that particular pot, as their bright and brash colouring would have necessitated a planting location near the bold borders. Nevertheless, there they were, pushing aside the grass and cocking a snook at the main borders filling up with foliage of plants that will in due course have pink and purple blooms, so I had no qualms in cutting short their exhibitionism.

Having the title in mind already, I sought out Nandina ‘Fire Power’ to emphasise

the fieriness of the tulips, but the plant proved to be too young and the stems too thick for this to be a sensible choice, so I cut fresh foliage from its cousin N ‘Obsessed’ as a tolerable alternative. Revisiting my childhood Britain’s miniature garden collection successfully brought to light the miniature hose reel I was sure would be one of the pieces in the collection, and which currently serves as a prop. Luckily, it is too small to put out the tulips’ fire!

As tulips increasingly appear in our UK gardens, they will no doubt play a big part in vases for the next few weeks. Wherever you are, and whatever you put in your vases, we would love to see them on IAVOM, so please share them by leaving links to and from this post.