Fall is the time to plant bulbs for us. And I love my bulbs in the spring time, when they brighten up dreary, cold days with their bright colors and fragrant charms. Sunday morning, while Keith and I were on our weekly trip to Walmart, we found some great deals on bulbs that had been marked down to $2.50 a pack. And since Keith had just cleared out a new spot in the garden by the house on Saturday and we had even discussed the possibility of planting more tulips, guess what came home with us!
Yup! You guessed right! Tulips! Seven packs of tulips and two packs of red hyacinths, which are Keith’s favorite flower. I could have bought tons more, but we have a rule around here. What you buy you plant. So, I don’t go crazy anymore since I have to plant what I buy. Plus the fact that our yard is filling up and we are limited on space helps keep me in line. But, I can usually always find space for more bulbs. They are easy to tuck in here and there.
Keith and I set out to plant them Sunday afternoon. Keith digs the holes and I place the plants usually. With these, I decided I wanted them all together in a mass grouping so he dug a large hole and I filled it with leaves, then bulbs and then bulb booster.
One problem we have is never remembering where we plant bulbs in the fall. In the spring, we start digging a hole only to find we’ve hit bulbs and have to find another place for our new flower or shrub. This time Keith marked the space with some huge rocks so we shouldn’t have any problems come spring when we start filling in the space with some plants that Keith wants to move from one part of the garden to this spot. This spot was created when Keith finally got rid of these three huge bushes that really served no purpose except taking up space next to our house. He had been wanting to get rid of them since we moved here and I finally was able to let him do it. It really opened up the garden.
Another problem we have is never remembering what kind of bulbs we planted in the fall when they come up in the spring. I have tried all kinds of different methods, from placing tags in the ground, saving the packages (only to forget where I put them or accidentally throwing them out) to trying to keep a garden journal. Then every spring when they come up and I am madly taking pictures I am disappointed that I can only recall that they are a tulip, a daffodil or some other generic name. Some, like the Angelique tulip, which is a favorite of mine, are easy to remember. But with so many named types, and a slowly fading memory, I just cannot remember them all.
Well, this year I am trying what I hope is the remedy for my past failures when it comes to being able to identify and remember what was planted in the fall. Before I threw the packages away I laid them out on the driveway and took pictures of them with my phone thinking “I can upload these to Instagram” or better yet, “I can blog about these as part of my 31 Days of Falloween.” And that should help me to identify them this spring when they bloom profusely so I can photograph them. Yippee! I am a genius! (At least for now I am…let’s see this spring.)
So, now I have a decent picture, the name and some general information about the particular tulip saved in a format I think I will be able to locate in the future. And I cannot wait until spring to see how they turn out!
And, because of where we planted this grouping, the scent of the hyacinths should permeate our bedroom when we open the windows. Check back this spring to see how it turns out!
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