When photographer Britt Willoughby Dyer moved from London last spring to live full-time in the Cotswolds she found herself “a far cry from my Battersea flat in this most beautiful little cottage.” In case anyone needs further evidence to back up that assertion, here are the tulips that grow in the garden of that most beautiful little cottage:
Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
Above: Britt’s garden gate started life as a “very lovely old solid oak door” that he found in a local salvage yard. She stripped layers of paint (“quite a task for me and my sander”), set up posts in the garden, and with the help of friends, neighbors, and family hung the gate.
Above: With the gate in place, “the space now feels totally magical, the sense of enclosure and privacy has given the garden a new dimension,” says Britt. “It feels so much more like a secret garden and my rampant meadow can now relax and not feel the pressure of peering critical eyes.”
Above: To see more of Britt’s garden, visit her at Hawthorn Cottage.
Above: Tulipa ‘National Velvet’ consorts with the crabapples.
Above: Alongside the path that runs in front of Hawthorn Cottage, ruffled pink Tulipa ‘Belle Epoque’ brings to mind peonies. In this border Britt also planted ‘Mistress’, ‘Queen of Night’, ‘City of Vancouver’ and ‘Black Hero’.
Above: Potted.
Above: “In front of my cottage was a blank area and I have created a meadow, where the tulip clusiana has naturalized and will hopefully look even better this year,” says Britt.
Above: Tulipa clusiana ‘Peppermint Stick’ opens in the morning and closes as the day wanes.
Above: The deep purple Tulipa ‘Rem’s Favorite’ and lemon-yellow double tulip ‘Verona’ bloom against a carpet of blue forget-me-nots.
Above: The vividly orange parrot tulip ‘Irene’ plays well against the deeply purple foliage of ‘Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’.
Above: ‘Irene’ is prized for its true orange (a difficult color to find in tulips).
Above: Tulipa ‘Recreado’ and ‘Rem’s Favorite’ bloom amid a haze of bronze fennel.
“It’s a heavenly spot, on edge of a beautiful valley,” says Britt. “I took a huge risk leaving London to live here, but I’ve never looked back.”
For more of our favorite tulips, see:
- Considering Tulips: Arne Maynard’s Obsession with the Dutch Masters.
- 5 Favorites: The World’s Most Sought-After Tulips.
- Supermarket Tulips Transformed: A $10 Dollar Bouquet.
Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for tulip with our Tulip: A Field Guide.
Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various perennial plants with our Perennials: A Field Guide.
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