Whenever I see the first crocuses blooming in the lawn in late winter, I exhale in relief. I can relax now. I can relax knowing the squirrels or chipmunks or voles or whatever did not eat all these corms before the flowers came up. I'm sure they ate some of them, but I still can plant more than they can possibly eat in one winter. I can relax knowing that some of the crocuses are coming up from previous years' plantings. At least I think I know they are from previous years because I see … [Read more...] about Crocuses… we can exhale now.
bulbs
The Lone Snowdrop
I looked out the window a few days ago and surveyed the back garden. Within seconds, I saw the gleaming white of a lone snowdrop in bloom. Lovely readers, we simply do not have snowdrops blooming this early around here, until this year. I assume the mild fall, followed by a colder than normal few days in November, followed but what has been so far a mild winter, coaxed this one lone snowdrop to come up and flower. As soon as I saw it from the window, I ran out the door with my smartphone in … [Read more...] about The Lone Snowdrop
Another year, another 1,000 crocuses
Every year, for the past seven or eight years, I've been planting Crocus corms and glory-of-the-snow bulbs in my back lawn. This year, I planted 1,000 crocus corms, Crocus tommasinianus and another 500 glory-of-the-snow bulbs, Chionodoxa sardensis. It took me about two and a half hours, split between two planting sessions. I am a planting machine. I kneel on a mat and grab five corms/bulbs because that's how many I can hold without dropping one. Then I stab a hole in the ground … [Read more...] about Another year, another 1,000 crocuses
How to Freak Out Your Non-Gardening Neighbors
Would you like to freak out your non-gardening neighbors? Would you like to have them think that you have a green thumb that is so green you can make spring flowers bloom in the fall? Or maybe they will think you have magical gardening powers? Here's what you do... Lean in so no one can see the big secret here... What you do is... Plant some fall-blooming crocuses, like Crocus sativus, shown here. Yes, that's the crocus that gives us saffron. Wow, you can freak out your neighbors AND … [Read more...] about How to Freak Out Your Non-Gardening Neighbors
Bulbs and Books
Dear Gardening Friends, Gosh no, those aren't my tulips in the picture, but I sure think they are pretty and I want some for my own garden. I saw these tulips and many others on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art this week. They planted hundreds of thousands of bulbs last fall and a few mix-ins this spring for a big show they call Spring Blooms. It really is a big show. I posted on Facebook that if you live within 100 miles of the IMA, drop what you are doing and head out … [Read more...] about Bulbs and Books
In the spring, I need to see every flower
In the earliest spring days, which is really the last winter days, I need to see every flower. Yes, I feel like every flower that blooms needs a personal visit from me. I need to see them all. I cringe at the thought that one of the many flowers that lies dormant in a bulb in the ground for almost a year since it last appeared should not be properly greeted when it blooms. I worry that if I don't make an effort to see them all—take pictures of them, admire them, flatter them, and in general … [Read more...] about In the spring, I need to see every flower
