Same rock, same cup, different year

Does this image look familiar? It should if you were here last week. It's the rock and tea cup from my first ever Tea Tuesday post. However, things have changed a bit in two years.



I didn't pick up the ground cover last autumn as I normally do, so the rocks appear to be buried this year. But one of the reasons I didn't remove all those leaves was because it had been such a dry year and I wanted to preserve any moisture we might actually get during the winter.


I'm not sure if that was the case, or if the weather was so unseasonably warm, or if the flowers had been given a chance to propagate, but whatever the reason,



tulips have exploded all over my yard for the first time ever this year.


It's even hard to see the cup for all the greenery and color surrounding it.


This may be a better shot. At least you can tell there is tea in the cup from this angle.



I got thirty tulips one year at the Botanical Gardens when they sold the bulbs after the season had ended. There were no colors left on the bulbs, so you bought a random set of flowers and colors, some of which went well together, some of which did not (like that sole pink one peeking out to the right of center in the photo).


I planted half the flowers when I got home that spring day, and the rest that autumn. Regardless of when I planted them, I've have limited success with them. But this year


they have exploded in color and in numbers. I realize I should have shown them sooner, because some are past their prime, while others have yet to bloom.


As I said, they are everywhere in my yard. I am overjoyed by all the blooms. Enjoying them with tea is a genuine treat this year. Now please join Kimmie and the rest of my Tea Tuesday friends while they share their tea (or other drink) stories today.