How Does Your Garden Grow?

Its the first day of Daylight Saving Time and Mother Nature celebrated with a (record?) high of 64 degrees! All the snow is gone from the yard. A month ago, it had completely covered the sedum in the main bed.

Inspired by my friend Caryn's kids, I, too, potted up some bulbs that really should have been planted in the Fall. (I can't pass up a good deal, even when I should know better.) The poor things spent the Winter months sleeping in the mini fridge. I did plant about 15 crocuses last Fall in a small pot. Their albino stems grew throughout the Winter in the chilly fridge. I moved them to the porch today. I'm not sure if they will regain their normal green color, let alone bloom. Unfortunately, three months was too long for about 25% of the tulips. I tossed the shriveled and moldy ones out in the yard-- a peace offering to the bunnies and squirrels. I filled another big pot with a variety of white daffodils (and a handful of crocuses) which seemed to survive the Winter of the Refrigerator better than the tulips. I covered both pots with wire grates to keep the plague of squirrels from undoing my hard work. There are still a few bags of bulbs left in the fridge. I'll find a place in the garden for them soon. Really.

Elsewhere in the garden, there are real signs of Spring. Luckier tulips planted Fall of 2008 are pushing their was back up through the warming ground. Soon enough the bunnies will notice them and the fight for the flowers will begin again.