We finally planted tulips bulbs this week. I wanted to get them into their winter beds before Christmas, but life slipped in and provided other distractions. For a few weeks, our box of bulbs traveled around in the trunk of John’s car where at least they stayed nice and cool. Yes, it’s a tad bit late to plant tulips, but I think they will be okay. The ten day forecast looks mighty cold. Cold will be a good thing for our bulbs now (hopefully) dozing in the soil.
The seasons seem confused. I suppose our bulbs may be too.
We bought our tulip bulbs a cold rainy day in early December when we needed a garden fix and ended up at White River Nursery. To me, nurseries during winter are like empty shelves at the grocery store, rare and a bit curious, not as they should be. I walked around, admired everything green I could find, enjoyed the peacefulness, imagined the plants that will spill over the tables in earliest spring.
We left with 70 tulip bulbs. Two different fringed varieties—New Santa and Purple Crystal.
Planting Tulip Bulbs
What a welcomed break to step away from book formatting / editing / designing and truly get my hands dirty again. It had been awhile, and the day felt spring-like.
The bulbs we purchased are mid-spring bloomers. We planted them five inches deep, according to the guide on the package.
An unexpected benefit of planting tulip bulbs was noticing changes in our winter garden. Tiny changes that can’t be seen while grabbing the mail or walking the dogs.
Spring is Peeking at Us
Daffodil stems are poking through the ground.
Lenten rose is quietly beginning to bloom, so unassuming they could easily go unnoticed.
Mahonia is doing it’s brilliant thing.
It seems early for all this fresh new growth. I say this every year while I hold on to my gardening hat and enjoy the ride, trying not to miss a single thing.
Even though our forecasted low for Monday is 19 degrees, spring is certainly headed our way, whether I get that snow I wish for or not.
What’s budding in your world? And what are you dreaming about for spring?
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
My naked ladies’ leaves have been up for weeks here on the White River in north central Arkansas. ?
Yikes!
I have several places where the daffodils have been showing up since before Christmas. I have the small old variety that I was able to dig off the old home place. They really multiply quickly.
One of my friend’s daffodils are up in Little Rock.
No signs of Spring here! We woke up to 4 degrees this morning and our high is less than your low. Tomorrow our forecast says 5-8” of snow and a wintry mix before and after that. Who knows, I might even break out the old flexible glider. Amazing what a difference in just over 400 miles apart. In the meantime I will enjoy your pictures of signs of Spring!
I would love a little of your snow.
When I get back home to Arkansas this afternoon (from -2 Wyoming). I will have to poke about in the garden! I planted my one tulip bulb, a gift at a P. Allen event, the day after Christmas hooping it wasn’t too late. Good to find out it might not be!
How fun! I bet it will be fine.
Our daffodils started sprouting in the late fall and now look eager to give us buds then blooms. No tulips this year though. I didn’t get around to it!
We have tulips coming up from five years ago!
I have one of those early-spring-blooming-bushes in my yard, not forsythia, the one with the pretty coral pink flowers all over the branches, can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called, but it is in FULL BLOOM! Poor thing was covered in snow Wednesday morning 🙂
Japonica?