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Jim鈥檚 tulip experiment has turned from a daydream into a nightmare filled with apricot parrots and an odd honeymoon

25 May 2018

Christmas Dream, Princess Irene, Honeymoon, Red Georgette, Westpoint, Apricot Parrot, and Daydream — sounds like the line-up for the Grand National.

In fact, these are the names of the tulips involved in a gardening experiment dreamed up by Jim McColl — legendary presenter of The Beechgrove Garden.

Jim鈥檚 experiment

Jim planted a range of tulips in order from those that would flower earliest in the season to those that would flower later. He recorded the height and for how long each variant of tulip flowered.

He hoped to see a steady flow from the earliest flowering to the latest flowering, but Mother Nature had other plans!

The tulips grew in almost all at the same time, which Jim said ‘scuppered’ his experiment.

All was not lost, however: Jim still managed to share his opinions of the flowers.

Tulip variety What Jim thought
Christmas Dream 鈥淲hat鈥檚 that got to do with Christmas?鈥
Princess Irene 鈥淎 stunner! I think that is fabulous. I鈥檇 definitely grow that again in my own garden.鈥
Honeymoon 鈥淔lower arranging people might like that sort of thing... I think it鈥檚 a bit odd.鈥
Red Georgette 鈥淎bsolutely stunning thing.鈥
Westpoint 鈥淰ery lovely.鈥
Apricot Parrot 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like them.鈥
Daydream 鈥...it鈥檚 a bit of a nightmare...鈥

Framing (Tu)lips

Christmas Dream, Princess Irene and Foxtrot
Honeymoon, Red Georgette, Westpoint and Apricot Parrot
Christmas Dream, Princess Irene and Foxtrot

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