Tulip Excitement, Tulip Disappointment
Flashback 2014
Long ago (last fall) and far away (above my pond outside my window), I had two bags of tulips, one in each hand. The lily-flowering tulips were marked Tulipa ‘Green Star’ and Tulipa ‘Mona Lisa’. In excitement, I dug my holes and planted the bulbs. I envisioned two clumps of tulips springing from the ground in April, adding more color to the exuberant spring show.
They sprang out of the ground as predicted, and both were lovely. One in white with streaks of green, the other bright yellow with streaks of, um, with streaks of; wait, where are the streaks of red? The cheery yellow tulips, supposed to have red markings, looked like Tulipa ‘West Point.’ I found three little wimpy tulips behind them that looked like they could be the ‘Mona Lisa,’ but the bulk of the bulbs didn’t streak as promised.
Still, the tulips looked beautiful, and though I am disappointed in not having a Mona Lisa in my garden, the beautiful tulips helped me past the disappointment. I will live happily ever after.