Sweetest Little Tulips!

Aren't these the cutest little flowers? They are "Full House" tulips from Brent and Becky's bulbs. They were planted in December after chilling in the frig a few weeks.
I don't plant a lot of tulips--you know, they just don't return, but I always try a few for that early spring show. These little cuties are really early. I saw them poking through the ground right before our ice and snow. I mulched them really good, and when the sun came back out, they started to grow.
What a cheery sight to look out and see these red and white flowers blooming among all the brown of winter! I think they are the sweetest little tulips I have ever seen!

The First Daffodil

As I was cleaning up outside yesterday and dead-
heading the sad looking pansies, I saw a bright glimmer of hope for things to come: the first daffodil of the season. I have really been worried about spring blooms after our record breaking lows from the past few weeks. I lost some of the pansies in containers, a few snapdragons, and all of the kale. These plants usually do fine in our winter weather, but these Arctic fronts have taken their toll on Texas plants this year.
I was starting to see bulbs poking up before the fronts paid us a visit, but not realizing how really cold it would get, I wasn't worried. It was after it started to thaw up a bit I noticed all the freezer burn on the foliage. I wrote Southern Bulbs and asked what they thought about the daffs and tulips here in the Dallas area. The answer was:
"Your daffodils and tulips should be fine and bloom for you this spring (although the foliage was covered in ice and snow for 4 days). The most important thing is that the daffodils and tulips were not budding or in bloom when the freezing weather came and sat down on Dallas/Fort Worth. Damaged foliage can recover from freezing those temperatures, but a bud/blossom cannot. So, expect healthy daffodil and tulip blooms this spring!"
Such good news!! But pessimistic me was still rather skeptical..until I saw this pretty little flower nodding in the breeze. I am now seeing more buds on the daffodils, and I do see a few tulips starting to come up. It was lots of work planting the bulbs, and the disappointment of not having their spring show made me really sad--but looks like my harbingers of spring are ok after all.

Cabin Fever

This has been the scene at our house since Tuesday. No pretty fluffy snow--just raw, cold ICE! We had to break through the ice on top of the pond to reset the pump when the power went out. (well...that would be hubby bless his heart!) I made my soup, I made cookies, I drank hot tea, I cleaned one closet and the pantry--need to get those seeds planted, but oh I have cabin fever! I know the weather is bad just about everywhere, and much worse than ours--and I know all of you are ready to get outside and get those hands dirty. I didn't know what to do, so decided to get the latest book I bought and read. But this was really not the "latest" book--it was very old.
Last week I went to half priced books (love that store!) and finally found a copy of "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. You know, the book you read as a child. I was so excited as this one was illustrated by the late Tasha Tudor, one of my favorite people! Let me tell you, if you have not read this book in a while-or if you have never read it, go as soon as you can and get a copy. Yes, it is written for young adults, but that is quite ok. You will love it. It takes you to a place of excitement and serenity. I cannot recommend it more. If you need something to do on one of these cold winter days, read The Secret Garden..you will be glad you did!

"...she was inside the wonderful garden and she could come through the door under the ivy any time and she felt as if she had found a world all her own."

NEWS FLASH!!

Hey y'all--I thought I would give you an update on the weather. They told us we would have a "dusting" of snow over night...this is what the "dusting" turned into!!