I was home alone today as Luke was working. So, I could have been lonely and fed up but I had my friend the garden centre close by so all was well. When I say “my friend” that couldn't really be further from the truth as the blooming place has cost me money! Only last weekend I started buying my Spring bulbs. Now, you know how you have that one thing that you are mean about? For me it's tin foil, I don't like using a lot of tin foil (or aluminium foil as it's known in America) though I'm fine with cling film . My Mum is mean when using lemons but will use great lengths of tin foil without a moment's hesitation. It doesn't make any sense but we all seem to have our irrational ideas about odd little things. I have this big hang up with Spring bulbs.
At the end of every winter when the garden has seemingly lain dormant and all the Autumnal flowers have died back; after long hard months of endless grey and cold and bareness in the garden I am aching for some small sign of hope that the sun is on it's way and that the garden will reawaken; bursting with foamy sprays of colour and form. So this is how it works; each Spring I berate myself for not buying more bulbs because the garden is so empty and flat. I want petals to shout at me to look at them, I want pinks and greens and whites and blacks to grab my attention as I scan the beds for signs of life. I want a show! That's fine, you say, what's stopping you, it's perfectly possible. And this is the rub; I'm too mean! Too mean to spend a vast amount of money on some bulbs that I will not witness push through the earth for another five or six months. It's ridiculous because next Spring I shall be in the same situation; desperate for those little colourful faces to nod at me from the bare expanse of semi frozen earth. However, when it comes to spending a lot of money on enough bulbs I baulk at the idea. Right now, with only a month or two of warmth left I should be buying my warm boots ready for the winter, I shouldn't be spending the money on little biddy bulbs which have nothing to offer in terms of protection against the elements.
Two years ago I thought I had cracked it. I decided that I'd had enough of being disappointed with a few measly crocus and tulips and I did splash out on about sixty bulbs, even last year I did spend a fair amount (I remember being pleased with how many I'd planted before the winter arrived and amazed at myself that my knees had held up for the long period of time I was on them). But however many I buy it's never really enough. It used to be the thing to bury tulip bulbs in the Autumn but tests seem to show that it's best to leave them till later (November time) to prevent the risk of tulip fire, a fungal disease. I don't want to be out in freezing weather though, trying to hack away at frosty unforgiving earth and tulips really need deep planting if you aren't going to lift them every year. I really like tulips in pots - they are so versatile, you can group them together, move them to different parts of the garden and play around with colour combinations with the pot and the plants.
A purist probably hates them (and I've probably said this in an earlier blog) but I love parrot tulips. They are so full of themselves with their crinkled petals and gnarled edges.
I spent last evening choosing more bulbs online for myself after nearly fifty quid's spend this morning but when I looked at the checkout price I'd gone up to £78 so I've stopped that little venture.Time to stop spending and start dividing what I've got.
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