06/08/2026
Takeaways from the display garden:
Colorblends is always planning one spring ahead, but in order to do that, we also have to look backwards. Spring 2026 at our display garden in Bridgeport, CT, was full of learning moments that we are taking into next year.
Weatherwise, there was a nearly 50-degree temperature swing over the course of the spring bloom, but overall the temperatures worked in our favor. There was a short heat wave of 80-degree temperatures in early spring that hastened the daffodils and burnt the early tulips, but it was followed by cool temperatures in the 40s and 50s that made the mid- and late-season bloomers last longer than normal. Those cool days included two nights of frosty weather, but spring flowers are made for the cold, and they did just fine once the sun came back out.
Specific varieties that performed well include:
• Daffodil Jetfire had a good run, starting early, and continuing strong.
• Our double tulips held out well, because most of the spring was quite dry. Doubles tend to get knocked around with a lot of rain, but last longer in drier weather.
- - Double Shake, a double tulip variety, had an especially impressive show, starting with more yellow coloring, and finishing with a lot of white and dark pink. (Pictures 2, 3, and 4)
- - Pax et Amor™ a double tulip blend (Picture 5)
- - Alison Bradley, a double tulip variety (Picture 6)
• The blends Lemony Remedy™ and Dawn to Dusk™ were both quite impressive as well. (Pictures 7 and 8, respectively)
One blend that took a surprisingly long time to open up was Apples to Oranges™ (last picture). This blend was in one of the shadiest spots in the yard, which just goes to show that the location of planting can meaningfully affect flowering time, even in the same garden.