Last October I planted up a favourite pot with tulip ‘La Belle Epoque’, (thank you, Suttons), along with black hyacinths on the patio and then duly forgot about it.A few weeks ago I had a show of the hyacinths looking well with the pale jade green of the tulip buds. The hyacinths finished as the tulips started to take colour, and were deadheaded.Once I could see the tulips were going to be apricot in colour, I surrounded them with pots of foliage that I always have to hand for creating displays. Heuchera ‘Ginger Peach’ and ‘Cherry Cola’, (thank you Mum), Stipa tenuissima and a favourite houseleek in an old cup on this occasion.

When the tulips opened, the dark markings inside exactly matched the heuchera leaves.

And as they started to go over, they reminded me of those wonderful Dutch flower paintings, just like the ones I had been admiring the week before in an exhibition at currently showing at the National Gallery:

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/dutch-flowers-6-april-2016-1000

Next week my tulips will have done their thing, and I’ll be looking for another focal point and a new arrangement to put in its place.