Tulips for Tapping 2022

Athelas

Tulips for Tapping is a charity event organised by the Norfolk Hospice Tapping House and Belmont Nurseries, where people can walk through working tulip fields in Norfolk over a couple of weeks in spring

If you've been to the event, do share your photos -- I took loads and will upload them in the next few days

https://www.norfolkhospice.org.uk/event/tulips

Jellyfire

Lovely @Athelas, havent been over for a few years, but heres one from when I did head over there a few years ago, it was a bit quieter in those days so you usually had the fields more or less to yourself

Athelas

The light is perfect in your shot @Jellyfire, love it!

I tried last year but tickets were sold out, so I made a note to buy tickets early this time (my first time to go)

Athelas

Here are some pink ones

BenCotto

About three years ago we had a holiday in Amsterdam with a late afternoon flight back. One of the best decisions we made that week was to book a taxi to Schipol about three hours early and go on a detour via the Dutch bulb fields. It was great.

Jellyfire

More lovely shots @Athelas, I mits try and get tickets next year 

Athelas

That must have been amazing @BenCotto! I've been to Amsterdam a few times but hadn't thought about checking out the bulb fields.

@Jellyfire, definitely! You might find there are indeed more people visiting. I wonder if the colour selection has changed over time, fewer pinks for example, or more purples?

Here's what I call my single red series. I kept finding odd flowers among the yellows, apologies it's somewhat repetitive, but there is some subtle variation across the photos. Unfortunately there were no labels on the farm.

Messynessy

These are so beautiful. I want to turn my whole lawn into a tulip field but I’m guessing the grass wouldn’t survive to cover it when the tulips die down?

Athelas

I personally think the leaves are so large and leathery it would be difficult to have them in a lawn, especially when waiting for the leaves to die down. Perhaps shorter species tulips would work, and they would naturalise over time?

But it can be done, probably better on a large scale and in non-high traffic parts of the lawn — photo from Kew Gardens below (not mine): https://twitter.com/abundancelondon/status/1121532988175671297?s=21&t=0PNe1g6TIVBCeBRE0AcQxQ

Monty had great results planting out previously potted tulip bulbs in the borders of his jewel garden (in the last episode of Gardener’s World, or maybe the one before that) — I believe one of the key things is to plant them deep.

didyw

This was shown on Look East a little while ago and they said then it was sold out.  I'd love to visit.

Jellyfire

Messynessy said:

These are so beautiful. I want to turn my whole lawn into a tulip field but I’m guessing the grass wouldn’t survive to cover it when the tulips die down?

I have tulips and Spanish bluebells which completely swamp my front lawn I spring, I just mow it all about 3 weeks after flowering ends and it’s back to grass within a week or two. It’s no bowling green, but it’s a normal looking lawn 

@Athelas I think so, back when I used to visit the predominant colour was nearly always pink, they used to switch the location around each year for rotation, they were in East Winch mainly