Tulips

I didn't plant any tulips last fall. I decided it was too much trouble. Here in Texas you must chill the bulbs about 8 weeks, and they are annuals no matter what you are told. (or so I thought!) I really missed watching for them to appear in February, and didn't even notice there were 2 red flowers coming up around the pond. I was really shocked when I saw the red buds mixed in with the daffs and bluebonnet.

What a pretty color combination! And how ironic to have these 2 lonely little tulips here. Guess what their name is-- "Come Again!" I really think I planted more, but these were the only 2 that really did come back. I don't believe I will re-think and plant more in fall--I am pretty happy with all the daffodils that will naturalize...but what a nice Spring surprise to find blooming this year!
I hope you have lots of good Spring surprises in your garden this year!

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!

A Beautiful "Tulip" Day!

Today is tulip day! The bulbs have been in the refrigerator now for about 8 weeks, so it's time to get them in the ground. I thought my Mother wanted me to plant some in her garden, but she decided there was no more room-so..I planted 60 bulbs in my little backyard today. And what a perfect day to be in the garden. It was sunny and warm (temp was 67 at planting time-which explains why we have to chill our tulip bulbs here in Texas!) After some much needed house work this morning--I couldn't wait to get outside.

I don't use a bulb planter like I bet most of you do. I like to use this old, ugly, slender spade. It has a sharp point that is great for digging down into clay soil. I was somewhat worried about digging up existing bulbs as I went, but only came across a few. I had 6 different types of tulips-mainly yellows and reds which I planted in between the pansies. I bought 10 all white bulbs that I planted together out under the bird feeder. I added lots of red pepper, then mulch to this area to try and discourage pesky squirrels. The last group of bulbs were white with red edging. I planted them behind the flagstone patio--again with red pepper on top. I never know whether I should plant only one color tulips, or plant lots of colors but always group the colors together (which I think I heard in class is the right thing to do.) But I like red and yellow mixed together so much-I usually mix the bulbs together in a pot, then toss them here and there. I never mark where I am planting as I LOVE to have surprises popping up in spring. By the time I finished planting and peppering and mulching..I was ready for a break. Nice afternoon snack--warm pumpkin bread right out of the oven! Ummmm--what a beautiful tulip day!

Hope you had a good day today!

Yard work, tulips and sweet smells

What a beautiful weekend! It was sunny for a change, the temp-
erature was great, and we took advantage of the nice weather and worked in the yard. While hubby was mowing (goodbye dead grass!), I was out back trying to dig up roots in this flower bed behind the pond. This bed was full of wood fern and ground ivy. I don't want to completely get rid of the ivy (which is impossible anyway), but I did want to try and reduce the amount of ferns in this area. Now that the sun shines on this bed (because of losing the big tree), I would like to plant some type of flowers, and I am thinking cosmos. I can just imagine how pretty they would look gently nodding in the breeze. Sounds simple, huh? Not so! I spend all afternoon digging, pulling, and digging some more to clear out the roots. This was quite a job. But it's done. It's too early for seeds, but as soon as I know our freeze chances are over, those cosmos seeds will be scattered.

Tulips are up, and blooming! I ordered quite a few bulbs from Breck's in the fall, and have several coming up, but seems like I should have more plants. I am making a note to order and plant more next year. Some of the tulip bulbs are hybrids, so I am hoping they will come back .
This is my favorite tulip. I ordered a few bulbs called
Day-
dreams They start out as yellow, change to very light apricot..
..then gradually change to a deep orange.
During the day they open to the most beautiful flower. According to the specs on this variety,

"day-
dream blooms are long-lasting and reach up to 5 inches across.."
I am enjoying this tulip so much! It was such a joy to go out this weekend and see the large flower. And that orange color..wow! I will order more of these!

The sun shinning directly on this flower gives it a golden look. Just beautiful!

As I worked clearing, cleaning and pruning this weekend, I kept smelling the sweetest fragrance. I thought it was my violas, which it was to some degree, but then I remembered the 2 new little plants I bought at Home Depot last week. That's what the sweet smell was! This is a Nemesia-compact innocence. Nemesia is a pretty annual with little snapdragon-shape flowers.
I only bought 2 because Nemesia is a cool-season annual. These little plants will not last very long, but I think they add a bright touch to this early spring garden, and I sure will enjoy that sweet smell as I work and relax out in the yard.

It has been such a good weekend, and..it's Spring Break for me, and...we are off to the Hill Country later this week! Spring is almost here!

January 1, 2010

They had red tulips at the grocery store--I just couldn't help myself!

Happy New Year everyone!!

December

The turkey and pumpkin pie are all gone. Fall is put away. The Christmas Tree is up! And gifts are....well, no gifts yet, but that will come. And I am happy to announce..
the bulbs are in the ground!
I ordered all my bulbs except for some hyacinths online this year. I am really hopeful I will have some beautiful flowers in spring.

From Brecks, I ordered 3 different types of daffodils: Spectrum, Quail and Replete. The Spectrum and Quail are yellow and are suppose to be very fragrant. The Replete was Brecks 1995 Daffodil of the year. The 4" blooms begin to open as ivory-white petals. As they unfold, they are yellow-orange hues that quickly change to a rose-pink! Doesn't that sound fascinating! Actually, I planted only one of these at my house. I planted the others at my Mothers. I thought she might really enjoy watching them change. And, Tina--I did what you suggested and planted 3 types of hybrid tulips: Darwin, Triumph, and Daydream. The tulips are mixed colors.
Then I planted 4 types of daffodils from Old House Gardens. I mentioned this catalog in a post last spring. They sell "unique, endangered and amazing bulbs." These bulbs, as you might guess, are kind of expensive since they are heirloom, so I only planted 3 of each kind: Sweetness, 1939; Campernelle, 1604; Trevithain, 1927; and Jonquil, Early Louisiana, 1612. This Early Louisiana is one I already have, but it came in the sampler package that I ordered. All of these daffs are suppose to be very fragrant. I can tell you the Early Louisiana is the most fragrant bulb I have ever seen!
The one thing I worry about is all the rain we have had. I just hope the bulbs do not rot. I don't ever remember having a problem like that, but I planted all these in the back, and our back has just been saturated. It rained again this week and I hear there is more to come. According to the Farmer's Almanac, this will be a cold wet winter for Texas. All I can do is hope that some wonderful sunny day in February or March I will walk outside and see the green tops of daffodils and tulips shooting up all over the garden.


"It is a greater act of faith to plant a bulb than to plant a tree!"
Clare Leighton