Tulips before Daffodils

Looks like I am going to have a tulip bloom, before any daffodils this year. This is mainly because the deer got all the daffodil blooms and did not find the patches of tulips. That or the hot pepper and garlic spray really did keep them away. Note next year I should also spray the daffodils. Sigh. This morning it was trying to open.

I finally found my records for the tulips we bought two years ago. These 'Ali Baba' Tulips were in a container last year and planted in the garden in the fall. These are Greigii hybrids which apparently are more robust than many other tulips, and may be left permanently in the ground to multiply.

The whimsically named 'Ali Baba' Tulip is a greigii tulip that features rich, deep coral red blossoms of luminous intensity set on sturdy, thick stems. It is perfect for planting in rock gardens and at the front of borders. This variety is low-growing, with long-lasting bright flowers and very often leaves stained or striped with brown or crimson. It is a pretty presence in the garden well before blooming, as the red-striped leaves are decorative in and of themselves. 'Ali Baba' is much shorter than the regular tulips, its flower stem is only about a foot tall, but the bloom is large and wide, a half-foot wide when fully opened. Varieties bloom in April. This small tulip is effective in small groupings of at least 12-15 bulbs or massed into large drifts. Striped foliage provides continuing interest after bloom.