Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Tulips, Tulips!! And... a Blue Tarp

I've never planted bulbs before.  The few that I had in my yard were planted by the previous owner or naturalized.  So when I planted tulips late last fall.... very late.... in December, I wasn't sure anything would actually come up, but I'm happy to say they did and I'm really enjoying the spring show. 


I planted one of those 40 variety packs that I picked up from Lowes.  This was a bit of risk since you never know what is going to come up and in what colors, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I wish I had bought another pack and spaced them a bit closer so they would look fuller, but it was my first try out of the gate so I can't complain much.

The ones below weren't in the variety pack - I picked them out separately and wasn't sure if they blended with the flowers in the variety pack.... they don't really, but I don't care since I'm not a garden designer and I'm really just thrilled that things come up at all.  I may move them after they finish blooming.  



Some close ups of variety pack bulbs.  The colors are stunning and they almost look like poppies.










I also planted some petite daffodils and grape hyacinth, which you can see in the post below.  It's so nice when your gardening efforts pay off unexpectedly. 

Ok...  I had to post this picture.... It's our embarassing blue tarp!  It's only peeking out in the upper right of this picture because I can't bare to take a close up of it.  Yes it's right in the front of the house and mucking up the scenery.  Grace, this one's for you! LOL 


You see last fall we had some rain damage to our house which only got worse over the winter.  We got some insurance money (thank God!) but couldn't fix it all winter long because it was too cold.  Then hubby got busy and so his solution (God help me... it certainly wasn't my solution) was to place a BLUE tarp over the offending area until he could get it fixed. 
 
Since Andy never does anything the easy way he has decided (and actually I agree) to not replace what's there but to add a farmer's porch and stone wall to this part of the house.  Great idea I say!!  Love it!!!  Now may mercy help me because this project is going to take all summer long and be a mess.  I'll document the progress and try not to check myself into the psychiatric ward while it's going on.  Wish me luck - I'm gonna need it!

10 comments:

Carrie said...

Your tulips are fab and daarling clashing colours are soo now!!

Best of luck with the rennovation - you'll be fine, just take pictures, write about it and pretend it's someone else place for a while, haha

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Yeah for your tulips! I feel the same way about my Daffodils this year.
Your porch sounds like it'll be great. It'll be fun to see how it turns out. Good luck!

Avalon's Garden and Mewsings of Garden Cottage Cats said...

Wow!! The tulips are so pretty & lively!! Each one individually has its own personality!
I know what you mean about projects .... I always envision them Done! try not to with the doing stage:) haha
I,m sure it will be Great! when it's done, it's just getting there!lol Good luck on your project!

MulchMaid said...

Beautiful tulips! I never plant them because I tell myself I'm not much of a bulb person, then I kick myself every spring when I see how lovely they look in so many gardens!
Good for you and hubs doing your porch and stone wall the right way. Yes, it's hard living through the project but you will be so glad when it's finished and looking great. But what is a "farmer's porch"? I've never heard the term.

Elsa said...

Wonderful tulips. They are really nice springflowers in the garden.
I did not plant any bulbs last autumn because it was raining for weeks.
It is so exciting to follow your gardening.
Good luck on your project.

Sylvana said...

You have some nice tulips in that mix. It's good that you planted them so far apart; it give them room to multiple and create bunches of the same tulip :)
The non-mixed one looks sort of like Claudia. Hard to tell though from the angles that you have here. It is very a very nice cover combo and shape.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

The tulips look great! I planted my first ever this past fall as well; however, I don't expect to see them for a while yet. Fingers crossed! (If these work out I may become a bulb fanatic as I crave blooms this time of year) :-)

tina said...

Don't let that blue tarp worry you a bit. It's serving a vip purpose. Your tulips look most cheery and sunny.

Unknown said...

I'll bet you're sooooo glad you planted those bulbs now aren't you Jackie? They are beautiful and you have quite a show going on. Good luck with the porch and can't wait to see it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jackie~~ So the hubby got himself a bad case of tarpitis, did he? Well, I suppose his reasoning is good. It's not really his fault. Christine in Alaska [the originator of Tarpitis] and I concur that the REAL culprits are those mucky-mucks stationed high atop some office building in New York City. They are the ones that chose that unnatural blue color. It's their fault. [The same color-challenged dudes who assigned pumpkin orange for extension cords.] We should revolt. Don't you think? Green, brown gray... they're out there but it's those blue ones that are front and center on the store's shelves fully equipped with little homing devices that lure similarly color challenged citizens. It's a conspiracy. There I feel better now.

Remember you can vent anytime here on your blog. It's cheaper than the psych ward!

The tulips are dazzling. Kudos to you for liberating the bulbs. Better late than not at all--a lesson for all of us. I'm wondering if you used a tripod for your banner photo. We're talking crystal clear! Just beautiful!