Tulips in pots

These staggered pots of tulips in three rows in the greenhouse area at Rousham are fabulous. They are a selection of mid to late flowering types with a range of varieties including my favourite parrot tulips. The colour palette is restrained enough. Lilac to purple to violent plum and cream streaked with green. They are beautifully offset by the terracotta pots which thankfully have not been scrubbed clean and have a graceful patina of age and a shape to match their contents. Spot the sheaves of hazel canes ready for placing in massive herbaceous borders in the background of the photograph.