
We had a lot of rain, the sun shone….BAM! The tulips are out! But wait! Narcissus are only halfway through their annual display! SLOW DOWN TULIPS!!!

I spent the weekend in the garden, doing all sorts of things since the weather was so fine, and before I knew it, it was Sunday evening, time to put things away before dinner. With no flowers cut, no vase selected, no photographic angles chosen.

The great thing about a nice May weekend, though, following a day of rain, is there are lots of choices for a Monday vase. I’ve been waiting for Narcissus Quail to open – for me the most fragrant of all the daffs, almost like a paperwhite, with one or two or three small flowers atop each tall strong stalk.
And the tulips…..I planted a hundred Daytona and a hundred Exotic Emperor last fall, both for beauty in the garden and for cutting. They both started to bloom yesterday, and I think they’re gorgeous.
The indoor photos were taken with the early evening sunshine streaming through the window. I thought the light would be too harsh but really, I love it. The vase… I’ve used it many times before. Thrift stores and yard sales are not considered essential these days, so it may be a while before I’m able to renew my supply!
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting IAVOM and giving gardeners around the world an opportunity to share their flower designs. As a bonus from my garden, I refreshed my little raku Ikenana vase. Maybe I’ll try to use it every week…

Good planning last fall. These are just gorgeous Chris.
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Thank you!
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I can you are enjoying all your bulbs, Chris – what a lovely vase you have been able to share with us, and how nice you could refresh last week’s too. The fringed Daytona is a stunning tulip and I will add it to my list for next year
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Thank you – I’m hoping Daytona sticks around for a few years!
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Do your tulips usually last for some time? They can be very fickle here, apart from the species ones
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The same here…i have only planted species tulips in the past, but then along came IAVOM! 😄😄😄
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People have said IAVOM has changed their lives, Chris…!!
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😂😂 I believe it!
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Beautiful. I can only imagine hundreds of tulips in bloom! (Tulips do NOT like Southern California even when chilled in a refrigerator for weeks before planting and tossed out at the end of the season like annuals.) I’m very envious.
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Then again. You have poinsettia hedges and palm trees and all kinds of agave…🌴🌵..we have tulips and red maples!
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Wow, gorgeous flowers, I love Daytona, too. and the photos are gorgeous, too – love the shadows. I gave up on tulips in Atlanta.
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Daytona just gets better and better each day…
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I finally went in to work today, but can not even find a carcass of a daffodil. I know they were there, I saw some of them while they were blooming. It must be nice to have so many this late.
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Yeah, it really is. I have two varieties (Actaea and Hawera – small botanicals) that haven’t even started to bloom yet.
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I suspect that bloom last longer there too, since the climate is not so arid.
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