Tulip scrumptious

In addition to my self-employed work, I do two days a week at Pashley Manor Gardens in Ticehurst. It helps keep me sane by breaking up the solitary work, plus the owners have some lovely chocoloate labradors. And the cafe does really great cake. It's a beautiful garden - a hidden gem in East Sussex, often overlooked in favour of nearby Sissinghust and Great Dixter. The formal gardens were designed by Anthony du Gard Pasley in the 1980s and 90s and feature many simple but very effective ideas. For me, the rose walk is a highlight - a small avenue of Rosa 'Irene Watts' backed by esapliered pears. In early summer simple white foxgloves are added to the backdrop and the combination is stunning.

One of the busiest times at Pashley is the tulip festival in late spring - massed bulbs planted in colour-themed blocks. In spring 2014, the rose walk's Rosa 'Irene Watts' were underplanted with Tulipa 'China Pink' and pink forget-me-nots, which looked beautiful. Last year we planted 25,000 bulbs and it's nearer 30,000 this year. If you haven't been to the festival, it's well worth a visit. All the bulbs are labelled, so it's a great way to see lots of different named tulip cultivars with the prospect of being able to recreate some of the ideas in your own garden.

In my garden last year I planted a combination of Tulipa 'Queen of Night' and Tulipa 'Ballerina' in the bed next to the house. People either raised an eyebrow or called me 'brave' when I described it to them, but I thought it looked great. I was pleased to see that Helen Dillon had gone for a similar contrast of colours when I visisted her garden in Dublin last spring. The only problem in my garden was when the beech hedge half way down dropped its leaves in late spring - so revealing red tulips in a bed at the bottom of the garden. They made a jarring backdrop to my jaunty Queen of Night/Ballerina combo that almost made me want to gouge my own eyes out.

The tulip planting at Pashley is now starting in earnest. The beds are being cleared of their summer occupants - Dahlias and tender bedding - perennials cut back and the beds forked over. Keith, the Head Gardener, places the tulip bulbs on the beds, following his own careful plans. Then someone on their hands and knees plants each bulb in its designated spot.

In my own garden I've gone for a more soothing combination this year - Tulipa 'Bleu Aimable' and Tulipa 'Hakuun'. The latter is a new, unusually white, Darwin hybrid. The Darwin hybrids are known to be more reliably perennial, and Val Bourne's article in the Telegraph (May 2014) suggested 'Bleu Aimable' might be similarly generous. And to avoid the problem with the denuded beech hedge, I'm planting Tulipa 'China Pink' at the bottom of the garden.