Every year the gardeners at Hidcote plant around 14,000 Tulips and as soon as they finish flowering they dig them all (well nearly all) of them out to make way for the summer planting. Why do they dig them out?
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- Glyn Jones, Head Gardener at Hidcote
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- Glyn Jones, Head Gardener at Hidcote
To avoid Tulip fly - which Head Gardener Glyn Jones points out would mean no more Tulips at Hidcote for around 20 years! That’s a lot of bulbs to plant and dig up every year and they simply give them away to staff, volunteers and visitors. Each year the display is different and they work with J Parkers to supply the bulbs annually and all certificated clean stock.
Today these blooms were in full display – a day of variable weather ranging from rain to bright sunshine but always rather cooler than might have been ideal – I gather May 2010 is heading for being one of the coldest ever!
They have adopted a couple of different planting styles for the tulips and to good effect. Some borders for example in the Maple Garden Contain borders with just a single variety planted ‘en masse’ and bounded by neat Buxus hedges.
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- Yellow tulips in the Maple garden at Hidcote
The Red Border mixes varieties and colours but still retaining bold tranches of individual varieties.
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- Fiery disply in the Red Borders
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- Beautiful lustrous velvety petals in the Red Border
In the Pillar garden it is rather more relaxed, which contrasts well with the formality of the upright pillars and Prunus Amanagowa.
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- Pale yellow tulips adorn the Pillar Garden
In the white garden too the Tulip planting supports the other white blooms including Dicentra spectabilis Alba.
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- In the White Garden alongside Dicentra spectabilis Alba
The Old Garden sees yet another style of planting called ribbon planting where a ribbon like trail threads its way through the borders – Glyn pointed out the obvious mistake in this years planting where a rather shocking yellow variety had crept in to an otherwise orderly transition through soft pastel shades! Good to know that mistakes are not limited to our own gardens!
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- Ribbon planting of Tulips in the Old Garden at Hidcote
The display was truly stunning and set off these amazingly influential gardens superbly which, although regarded as being quintessentially English were laid out by and American by the name of Lawrence Johnston over 100 years ago. Everywhere you turn you can see how this Arts and Crafts garden of ‘rooms’ has been influencing gardens and garden designers ever since.
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- One of my favourites this year – almost resembling magnolia blooms
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- Delicate pink tulip – really fabulous
My thanks to Glyn and to Alitex for organising the tour today and I look forward to returning later in the season to see how the planting that replaced the Tulips is shaping up!
Glyn’s flower of the day was actually not a Tulip at all but a beautiful blue Gentian in the newly finished Rock Bank
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- Glyn Jones plant of the day! Blue Gentian on the newly completed Rock Bank
- the colour was mesmerising and it serves to highlight the work done by gardens like Hidcote in the role of plant hunting both when the gardens were originally laid out by both Johnston and George Forrest but also by the team today who are retracing the steps of their forebears and working with the authorities in places like China to work on preserving plant heritage and in discovering new species.
A great day out with the tulips that actually revealed more about the remarkable gardens at Hidcote.
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · imagination · Inspiration · Plant · striking display3 Comments
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Hi Tim
I am pleased that you liked the tour. I will come back to you if Alitex can advertise. In the meantime, if you require editorial material please let me know.
Best wishes
Georgina
I must visit Hidcote this year.
At last I’ve responded to your Honest Scrap Award, though beware – I haven’t been entirely honest!