Here in the Pacific Northwest, spring has been remarkably (you might even say ridiculously) cold. Bad news for those of us dreaming of balmy weather (and getting our tomatoes planted), but perfect conditions for a lasting show of tulips in the garden.

Last summer when I turned in my manuscript for Color In and Out of the Garden, I opened up the pages of the John Scheepers bulb catalog and treated myself to hundreds of tulips in my favorite colors. Bloom times were carefully orchestrated to coincide with the book’s publication date in late April. Other than the delight of being awash in flowers, my intention was to harvest and share blooms freely with friends and family. It was a bit of an extravagant purchase (for me), but it helped me wring even more pleasure out of introducing my new book baby to the world.

The following annotated pictorial is a record of my personal tulip festival 2022. It’s both a way to extend the moment and remember what I planted for future reference.

‘Blushing Impression’ (Giant Darwin) jumped the gun in early April with tall sturdy stems holding up truly enormous bloom of peachy melon flushed with rose. The plant was almost comical in the garden, but glorious in the vase.

‘Ballerina’ (Lily Flowered) is a brilliant orange with fuchsia flames and fabulously fragrant, filling the living room with a sweet perfume. The stall stems were sturdy, but perhaps not sturdy enough to hold up to inquisitive littles. More on that in a moment…

‘Jaap Groot’ (Giant Darwin) was just as tall as ‘Blushing Impression’ but perhaps a bit more demure with butter yellow blooms with pale markings picked up by the soft yellow margins on the foliage.

‘Orange Princess’ and ‘Charming Beauty’ (Peony Flowered) are luscious doubles even if they are a bit on the stout side. These two have held beautifully in the vase, although the return of the rain meant the multi-petaled blooms tended to molder in the garden.

Blooming in earnest (and with exquisite timing I might add) I harvested blooms by pulling the entire bulb to maximize stem length. Tulips continue to grow even after they’re picked, resulting in languorous dips and swooning stems. A bouquet of long stemmed tulips is an animate presence.

‘Black Hero’ is another peony flowered tulip that thinks it’s an artichoke. I will say the blooms held up better in the rain, possible because of those tightly furled petals.

‘Caravelle Design’ (Single Late) was both a sleeper in the mix and a extraordinary surprise. Described as a plum purple with variegated foliage, which is true, but doesn’t begin to describe the vigor and production. It varied from bulb to bulb, but most bulbs produced multiple blooms, including one that had 4 (!!!) flowers—that one went to my daughter on Mother’s Day.

‘Black Parrot’ (Parrot) is a diva, as most parrot tulips are, and tremendously popular with cut-flower enthusiasts as even a single intricate bloom with fringed petals and green markings is enough to hold its own in a bud vase.

Those last 3 have proved the longest lasting in the garden, lending a slightly dour countenance to the beds in the cold and drizzle. I looked forward to harvesting the rest of them and hopefully replacing them with the tomatoes waiting in the wings under lights in the basement. In the meantime, I’ve got plenty of kale for the kitchen.

My takeaways: I love growing tulips to pick and share, and while I never ever thought I say it, the variegated foliage is beautiful. On the other hand, when you harvest the whole bulb you never have to work around sad fading foliage in the garden.