At the rear of the house, in a raised bed against the foundation, facing due south, is the bed where our first flowers appear in the first half of April - a group of hyacinths. By 2006, we are down to only a few plants so we will be planting another dozen or so this fall. *

The lighter colours seem to survive better than the darker hyacinths. *

On either side of the hyacinths, in the same small bed, are "Red Emperor" tulips, the first of our several varieties of tulip to bloom. *

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Next, and still in the same bed, are two groups of white tulios, edged in a puplish hue. *

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Like the Red Emperors, their petals open wide each sunny day and they really are uite pretty. This photo was taken on 20 April 2006, by which time the hyacinths had been in bloom almost three weeks and the Red Emperors two weeks. *

When they first start blooming, these are quite spectacukar bicolours. *

By the time the flower is finished, only a few traces of the mauve will remain, around the tips of the petals. *