There is nothing like a tulip, hyacinth or daffodil in its first spring. All the energy that growers in the Netherlands or elsewhere have pumped into the bulbs is distilled into glorious floral display. Tulips stand strong and proud, with magnificent multi-colored petals. If the daffodils’ trumpets could sound, they would be loud enough to … Read more
Every year at this time I take great joy in paging through the paper bulb catalogs and perusing the websites so that I can overspend on spring bulbs in the most discerning and intelligent way. One of my longtime favorite catalogs is Old House Gardens, which describes itself as “Heirloom Bulbs—So Much More Than … Read more
Everyone in the world seems to be reading Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Its de-cluttering message has almost certainly gladdened the hearts and fattened the inventories of recyclers, thrift shop owners and second hand book dealers from Memphis to Mumbai. I read it over … Read more
The bulb shipments have all arrived now, which is like Christmas coming early. Little brown bags and mesh sacks litter the table on the covered part of the back porch where only a month ago we ate weekend lunches and dinners. Now it is home to all kinds of spring-blooming treasures. One of those small … Read more
Now that I am fully into the preparation—as opposed to mourning—role for fall, it is time to pick up bulb bargains for last minute installation and forcing. Most bulb merchandisers, large and small, are eager to get rid of surplus inventory and settle in for the winter. Gardeners can reap the benefits. First the good … Read more
