After a couple of busy days in the garden, I'm all ready for spring. For the last week or so I have been gardening in spurts...an hour here, 15 minutes there, by moonlight when neeeded. Now my work is done (not really, but I'll enjoy the moment for now). The bulbs are out of their bags and in the soil and the garden is weed free (when will I be able to say that again?)
Here's what went in: 16 Pink Daffodil Blend bulbs made up of "Pink Pride" and "Pink Charm." While I'm not a huge fan of pink, I do love two-tone daffodils so I'm willing to give these a try.
Here are some "Carlton" and "King Alfred" Daffodil bulbs combined in one trench. The "King Alfreds," a gift from my mother, are monster size! Interestingly enough, they are most likely not the real deal. It seems that there are very few true "King Alfred" bulbs to go around. But the name has stuck and won't go away. So I don't know what I'll get other than that the flowers will be big and yellow. Altogether, 30 "Carlton" and 10 "King Alfred" made it into the ground.
I have real doubts about the "Irene Copeland" bulbs. They were wee compared to the other daffodils. And the flower looks a little too busy for my taste. My little sprout picked these (how could I say no?). She actually has a pretty good track record when it comes to picking garden winners. Maybe these daffodils will dazzle me despite my doubts. Only five bulbs planted.
I'm most excited about the 10 "Barrett Browning" Daffodils. They just look so pretty. Wish I had planted more.
I suspect my 20 snowdrops planted in two groups of 10 might seem insignificant in the garden as a whole. I suspect I should have planted around one thousand of them, but I was already way over my bulb budget.
30 Camassia esculenta will keep my gargoyle Phil company.
Phil is a constant in my garden. All year round he sits under the two burning bush shrubs, chin on hands, enjoying his surroundings. I think he'll look nice surrounded by a small field of purple.
I did some transplanting too. I moved a miscanthus, a russian sage, and three blue fescue grasses into the garden. They all spent the summer in two giant patio urns. I also planted a tovara which a neighbour shared with me after my repeated "oohs" and "ahhs" over the tiny red blooms. Of course, there's still more to do. I have to find a spot for a spiderwort I received from a fellow gardener. I need to move the garden furniture inside. And I have to clean out the shed (another big job!)
The garden looks as lovely as ever. Next week, I'll start mowing the fallen leaves from the enormous Norway Maple next door. They make a great (and free!) mulch. It's a good feeling to leave the garden looking great before it's tucked in for winter. With so much new stuff going on in the soil I can barely wait to see what it all looks like and that begs the question "Is it spring yet?"
After a couple of busy days in the garden, I'm all ready for spring. For the last week or so I have been gardening in spurts...an hour here, 15 minutes there, by moonlight when neeeded. Now my work is done (not really, but I'll enjoy the moment for now). The bulbs are out of their bags and in the soil and the garden is weed free (when will I be able to say that again?)
Here's what went in: 16 Pink Daffodil Blend bulbs made up of "Pink Pride" and "Pink Charm." While I'm not a huge fan of pink, I do love two-tone daffodils so I'm willing to give these a try. 
Here are some "Carlton" and "King Alfred" Daffodil bulbs combined in one trench. The "King Alfreds," a gift from my mother, are monster size! Interestingly enough, they are most likely not the real deal. It seems that there are very few true "King Alfred" bulbs to go around. But the name has stuck and won't go away. So I don't know what I'll get other than that the flowers will be big and yellow. Altogether, 30 "Carlton" and 10 "King Alfred" made it into the ground.
I have real doubts about the "Irene Copeland" bulbs. They were wee compared to the other daffodils. And the flower looks a little too busy for my taste. My little sprout picked these (how could I say no?). She actually has a pretty good track record when it comes to picking garden winners. Maybe these daffodils will dazzle me despite my doubts. Only five bulbs planted.
I'm most excited about the 10 "Barrett Browning" Daffodils. They just look so pretty. Wish I had planted more. 
I suspect my 20 snowdrops planted in two groups of 10 might seem insignificant in the garden as a whole. I suspect I should have planted around one thousand of them, but I was already way over my bulb budget.
30 Camassia esculenta will keep my gargoyle Phil company.
Phil is a constant in my garden. All year round he sits under the two burning bush shrubs, chin on hands, enjoying his surroundings. I think he'll look nice surrounded by a small field of purple.
I did some transplanting too. I moved a miscanthus, a russian sage, and three blue fescue grasses into the garden. They all spent the summer in two giant patio urns. I also planted a tovara which a neighbour shared with me after my repeated "oohs" and "ahhs" over the tiny red blooms. Of course, there's still more to do. I have to find a spot for a spiderwort I received from a fellow gardener. I need to move the garden furniture inside. And I have to clean out the shed (another big job!)
The garden looks as lovely as ever. Next week, I'll start mowing the fallen leaves from the enormous Norway Maple next door. They make a great (and free!) mulch. It's a good feeling to leave the garden looking great before it's tucked in for winter. With so much new stuff going on in the soil I can barely wait to see what it all looks like and that begs the question "Is it spring yet?"
8 comments:
I love fall because it's gorgeous, because I know soon enough I'll be sitting around dreaming over seed catalogues and weeding nothing and I can hope that the bulbs I planted really will make a spectacular show in the spring. I love the orange cupped daffodil, btw.
You have good collection of new daffodils. Who can resist the promise of yellow cheer?
I've seen pictures of mass snowdrop plantings in the UK that cover the whole side of a slope. They look stunning.I often wonder how many bulbs they started with, and how long it took for them to spread and naturalize. Perhaps they are a legacy of the days with head gardeners and undergardeners.
Wow, what a lot of bulbs you have planted! The daffs touted as pink are always more on the peach/coral side, so guess that will be okay with you since you are not a pink fan.
By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (I got a little hint from Blontanical.) Hope you have a very special day. Go ahead and spoil yourself a little. :-)
I kept reading and reading and it seemed as if somebody read my mind. If I would ever want to describe that indulging fall sentiment of a content gardener after a busy week of weed picking, digging in the dirt and a bulbing spree that borders with lunacy, I would direct them to your blog for sure. I'm all squirmy too, wondering 'Is it spring yet?'
P.S. Have a delightful and happy bday! xxx
Oooh! Can't wait to see the spring garden.
You have been busy! You will reap the rewards next spring, I can't wait for the pictures. I planted lots lilies this fall along with a few crocus.
God, I so wish Spring really was here. I don't think I can face another four months of darkness.
Your bulb "investments" make me excited to see spring in your garden. I'll bet you just can't wait to see all the new flower faces after all that snow melts away.
Post a Comment