Spring is Here

What happened?  All of a sudden the temperature rose to 80 degrees!  We have not been this warm since October, 2013.  The day was lovely.  Our property is teeming with new growth all around the lawn.  Last November, I planted 100 tulips in our new flower bed.  We created that bed in the spring of 2013, one of the first projects we did together after Walter retired.  For a few days we have been watching the bulbs send forth foliage and on some nights when the temperature dropped under 32 degrees, we covered them with a tarp so the frost would not harm them.  But by today most of the tulips were above ground and either have buds on them or have already bloomed out.

Mixed Colored Tulips are Opening

Walter added some potting soil to the bed and then sowed four packages of petunia seeds a couple of weeks ago.  After that he dressed the bed up with a thin layer of black mulch for both water conservation and high contrast against the flowers.  I think they are beautiful. 

Close-up of Cream Tulip

We choose mixed packages of tulip bulbs as we are not expert gardeners and really just love all colors.  I hope they will come back next season and also that the squirrels don't eat them.  By the time the plants are dying down, we hope to have new petunia plants coming in.  We would like to have continuous color for most of the year in the bed.  It is a good testing ground.  We are learning as we go.

Full Plants from our Church Grounds

Additionally, Walter dug up some daffodils from the grounds where our new church was built.  When the notice came out to members to take all they wanted before the ground was leveled, he dug up two small clumps.  He replanted them on either side of our driveway.  They are up now with several flowers.  Of course we are proud to have that history in our yard now. 

Daffodils from Pandora's Yard

In 2006 Walter's mother, Pandora, died.  Her yard was covered in iris of all types and several types of other bulbs.  Before the property was sold, we dug up a few of the bulbs and a couple of rose bushes.  Today several of the daffodils are in bloom.  We never had any flower beds until we took those flowers from her yard.  Now we have a flower bed that runs the entire length of the back yard fence.  When I weed the beds or add mulch or add new flowers, I wonder if she would be proud of us for carrying on her work, if only a feeble attempt on our part to keep the heirloom plants alive.

 

God is good!