Northern Shade Gardening

The Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ (Foxtrot tulips)  have developed wonderful pink tones, now that they’re fully open. With their extra petals, these tulips look beautiful in the garden. They are in Division 2, which are double early tulips. I wrote about the ‘Foxtrot’ tulip combined with the blue Muscari before, but I don’t think I emphasized how wonderfully pink they really are.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 2 double pink tulips

‘Foxtrot’ flowers have various shades, from a light shell pink, through medium to rose pink. The blush shading of pink and white on each petal is very attractive. When they first open, each petal is almost pure white, before they develop their mature colour. The double petals can have a bit of a ruffle around the edges, giving them an attractive shape, almost like a peony. If they packed any more petals into the flower, they would look like my ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony blooms.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 3 double tulips

These tulips also have a wonderful scent. I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet fragrance a group of them can give off. It reminds me a bit of my lilac. Between the lilac, tulips and lily of the valley, the garden is deliciously perfumed right now.

pink Tulipa 'Foxtrot' and blue Muscari

The above picture show the edge of the Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ (grape hyacinth) group in front of the tulips. I’ve got over 50 ‘Foxtrot’ tulips planted in this group, and with the Muscari in front it is my favourite garden section right now. They look terrific with the smaller blue bulbs.

Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ are a little shorter and sturdier, so they remain upright, even when they get a bit of snow. Because they are 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in), they look balanced when combined with shorter bulbs, like the Muscari.

With the cooler weather, these spring bulbs have been blooming for three weeks already and are still going strong. I’m very pleased with their vigour and appearance so far.  I planted them last Autumn, but since they are in a part shade location, I’m not sure yet how strongly they will come back next year.

I’ve made a gallery to show how pretty the ‘Foxtrot’ tulips look in a group as well as up close. You can click any of the small photos to see it full sized. It’s a pink extravaganza.

Here is a pretty pink and blue bulb combination of Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ (grape hyacinth) and Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ (a double pink tulip) for mid spring. The blooming times coincide in my garden to create an appealing mix.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' and Tulipa 'Fox Trot'

Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ is an extra full grape hyacinth, with double florets along the flower stalk. With all of the open petals, the stalks are very thick and showy. Planted closely, they make a luminous river of blue at the front of the garden bed. The grape hyacinths are 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) tall, while the tulips behind are 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) tall.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' closeup

This photo shows a closeup of the grape hyacinth just before the abundant petals have fully opened.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' flower closeup

Here is an image of a flower after it has fully opened.  You can see how lavishly the blue petals are packed on the flower stalk, making the grape hyacinth look  like a miniature hyacinth.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' flowers of blue

The photo above shows the intense blue colour of a group of the Muscari bulbs. This is my favourite bed right now. Just around the corner of the bed is a group of Brunnera (Siberian bugloss) with blue flowers too, and in the other direction are the blue Pulmonaria (lungwort) flowers.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' group

The ribbon of Muscari bulbs winds through some Campanula (bellflowers) in the picture above. When these brilliantly coloured bulbs die back for the summer, the Campanula here will replace them with their own blue flowers.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' with Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' behind

Beside the Muscari are some Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’, a double pink tulip with extra petals that make them extra showy.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' first opening

The ‘Foxtrot’ bulbs first open in a white colour, with curled and overlapping petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' after opening

Here is part of the group of tulips, just after they opened, still showing white petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flower

Soon the ‘Foxtrot’ flowers develop their pink colouration. You can see the overall pale pink colour, with medium pink edges to the petals.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flower closup

Here a ‘Foxtrot’ tulip bulb is opening up more, showing the graduations in pink shades, and developing a rose pink colour.

Tulipa 'Fox Trot' pink flowers detail

This group of four shows the colour range they can have, from mostly white when new, to the stronger pink colouration as the flowers develop.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' with Tulipa behind

I had trouble getting the overall photos to show the pink colour of  ‘Foxtrot’ next to the vibrant ‘Blue Spike’, since at a distance the camera (or photographer) seems to capture the tulips as more pale than they are in person. There are over 50 of the tulip bulbs, but as sometimes happens with bulbs, a purple one sneaked into the package. There is also a bright red one with an orange edge. They are not well camouflaged in this pink and blue colour scheme, but I haven’t had the heart to remove the imposters yet.

When I planted the tulips and grape hyacinths last Fall, I wasn’t sure if they would bloom at the  same time, especially because bulbs can have such short flowering times,  so I’m happy to see that the bloom period overlaps closely. The Muscari started a few days before the tulips, and I think they might still bloom after the tulips are finished. Despite the snow we had over the last two days, the bulbs are still flowering upright. Both are sturdy bulbs, as well as being pretty. You can see more details of the pink Foxtrot tulips in this follow up post.

Do you have any favourite bulbs combinations?

The small bulbs of early spring are some of my favourites. Their perfect miniature flowers add beautiful colour and charm to the garden. The little blue flowers of Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) and Scilla (squills) mix well with the other spring colours, as well as the new perennial foliage. They can also endure snowstorms and keep producing these beautiful flowers. Both the Scilla and Chionodoxa do well in a shady garden.

Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow)

These Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow) are planted under a Hydrangea. The Hydrangea has yet to break any buds, but the glory of the snow are shining beautifully under the bare branches of the shrub. I adore the bright blue flowers, with the white centres. Each flower has six long petals, with a dark line down the middle of each. The white in the middle makes the flowers stand out even more. The upturned flowers of each bulb are very showy, but they look especially nice in groups.

Chionodoxa luciliae (glory of the snow) in shade

The Chionodoxa luciliae (glory of the snow) also have terrific blue flowers that face the sky. These bulbs are planted in a very shady area, but they still bloom each year. The flowers are behind a group of  Scilla, and together they make a beautiful garden bed of blue on the north side of my house. There are still some blue and white Puschkinia (striped squills) flowering next to them, after three weeks.

Scilla siberica (squills) blue flowers

Scilla siberica (squills) come in the prettiest, brightest blues. The flowers hang down from the stems, but the backs of the petals are as blue as the fronts. These squills have spread in this area of the garden, despite getting less than an hour of sun a day. I’m surprised they have been expanding each year, instead of declining under the adverse conditions.

blue spring bulbs in snow

The above photo shows why I appreciate these hardy spring bulbs in a cold climate. The Scilla siberica were getting battered on the morning of a snowstorm earlier this week. The snow actually got deeper during the day, and mostly covered up the blue flowers. After the snow melted, most of these hardy bulbs were still upright and flowering. Their resiliency and tolerance make them great choices for a northern garden. The first photo in the post of the Chionodoxa forbesii was also taken after the snowstorm had completely covered the flowers, and then melted. You couldn’t even tell that they had been buried now.

Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty' (squills) and Chionodoxa

I have a large group of  Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’ next to some white Chionodoxa ‘Alba’, which flower at the same time. These two spring bulbs make a fresh looking combination in blue and white. This group in the back yard have some blue and white Pusckinia scilloides (striped squills)  flowering to the west in this bed. I waffled, and placed it in a post on white spring bulbs, but could easily have included it with the blues. All of these bulbs have long narrow leaves that fade away by summer, and are easily hidden by the growing perennials.

There are buds on the blue Muscari bulbs (grape hyacinths), but none have opened yet. The little blue spring flowers will continue for a while, once the Muscari fully open. Here is an earlier post with more blue bulb pictures.

I love cheerful flowers that endure and bloom, despite the conditions, instead of sulking and declining. Both Chionodoxa and Scilla are much tougher than their delicate petals and diminutive stature would suggest.

Scilla siberica (squills) blue flowers up close