After a long winter, tulips are one of the earliest flowers in the garden. Hybrid tulips make a big splash. These voluptuous flowers we love have been bred by selection from wild, less showy varieties originally from the Mideast. Most of these hybrids are not perennial and do not bloom reliably after their first year. Species tulips do! Try planting clusiana ‘Stellata’ tulips. By day a six petaled white star closing for the night showing their pink outer petals.
Stellata Tulips closed in the early evening
Stellata Tulips open in the sunlight
The aging trees were removed over the winter, giving way to space now flooded with sunlight. What is raw and exposed now will soon be lush and beautiful. We decided to screen the boundary fence with evergreens for vivid year round color and install a stone terrace for a fire pit and seating. We started with Emerald Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’). They will quickly grow up to 15′ high and will maintain their narrow shape. Over the summer, we will plant more evergreens on the boundary line and some shrubs and perennials in front of these. Watch for more photos as our project unfolds.
The same area after our neighbor removed the hemlock trees to give their garden more sunlight
The same area after our neighbor removed the hemlock trees to give their garden more sunlight