Emily Horton discovers an inspirational sea of colour at Dunsborough Park in Ripley, as Baroness Caroline Sweerts de Landas plants 40,000 tulips in preparation for this year's Tulip Festival
Over the past ten years Baroness Caroline Sweerts de Landas has created tulip heaven at her home, Dunsborough Park, in Ripley, near Guildford. During April and May up to 40,000 tulips burst into bloom, creating the most striking sea of colour that attracts hordes of visitors, including BBC2’s Tom Hart Dyke who filmed an episode of the Great British Garden Revival there last year.
“I just love the colour of tulips,” Caroline tells me. “Being Dutch, the flower brings me a lot of joy, especially as they bring the first bit of brilliant colour to the garden in spring.”
There are many breeds of tulip, each with their own unique beauty - but which does the Baroness recommend?
Caroline's 5 Favourites
- Bastogne - "I emphasize the striking red of this flower by planting it next to the red brick of the walled garden".
- Diane - "A dainty, very small white tulip - its delicate nature makes it a stunning table arrangement".
- Temple's Favourite - "A very tall tulip - its height lends itself well to beautiful tall vases".
- Shirley - "This unusual variety, with its strikes of purple, begins life as a yellow flower. It's extraordinary to watch it completely change colour!"
- Apeldorn - "This boldly-coloured beauty has a strong stem that helps make it a very resilient flower".
Each year, Caroline brings bulbs over from the Netherlands, and plants them at the end of November. They are meticulously ordered in lines according to colour and variety.
“In our landscaped gardens, I like the symmetry of the tulips planted formally in rows and separated with the violet hues of Muscari,” Caroline explains.
“For added effect, I plant four or more complementary colours in the same patch, such as Blushing Apeldoorn, Apeldoorn Elite, Golden Apeldoorn and Apeldoorn, which, once flowered, produces a rainbow effect.”
“But they are also spectacular planted randomly in our wild grass meadow,” Caroline adds.
Freshly cut displays inside her home are also a passion for Caroline:
“Never put the tulip leaf in water, only the stem. Just a little bit of water is needed, the more water you feed it, the more it will grow and bend over, creating a more disorganised arrangement,” she says.
There we have it, advice from Surrey’s tulip queen herself. Off I trot, to find a spot to cultivate my own patch of elegant loveliness.
Plant your own with the Baroness' advice
Caroline's 5 Top Tips
- Buy your bulbs from a good grower; ensure they have no mould.
- Plant 10-15cm deep, using a bulb planter, and space 17-25cm apart.
- Mix up varieties to promote a long season: 20% early tulips; 30% mid-season and 40-50% late flowering.
- Once planted, add mulch or manure over the bulbs for protection.
- After the tulips have finished flowering, ‘dead head’ them and leave them to die back.
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Dunsborough Park
Dunsborough Park is open to the public on the following open days, during which proceeds are donated to local charities. All other visits are by prior arrangement only:
April 25: Naomi House Children's Hospice
April 26: Cherry Trees Respite Centre
April 30 and May 24: ARCH
June 13: Transform Housing and Support
September 12: Princess Alice Hospice
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