Each Columbus Day I enter serious negotiations...not for a new business deal but with the winter residents of my gardens. The gardens at Camp MP have admirers but they are not the type who ooh and aaah and walk on..no these have fuzzy tails and think my gardens are a country club, dinner included! Each year I make a deal with the Nutkin Family. The Nutkins are an ever populating bunch and they have taught one another all the best places to shop, my gardens being the Bergdorf's of bulbs. The squirrels and I have long discussions and I make every effort to hold up my end of the bargain..they,however.... So here's the deal, if they leave my newly planted bulbs alone they can feast on whatever they can shake out of the bird feeders all winter...Squirrels are not to be trusted!
Consequently I was not going to plant this year...but I couldn't resist! Bulb planting is the special spot of a gardener's soul. They represent the hope and optimism that every gardener holds. While the leaves are still turning and the sky is a glorious blue I dig and place and tuck my bulbs in with a kiss for a long goodnight. I admit I often forget where I placed them, which is actually part of the joy...to walk by a section of the garden and see a group poking their heads up is the reason I plant. Winters in New England can be long and cruel so the first sprout of a leaf tip through the cold and icy ground is a gift that I would not trade for anything.
This year I am continuing my blue and white theme..parrot tulips, peony tulips, grape hyacinth, narcissus, muscari, scilla...I love them in patches and not neat rows. Check out Van Engelen and John Scheepers Old House Gardens for glorious collections. Just a hint..bulbs can be addicting! Pick a corner that is visible come spring and plan around color...what do you want to see first/ Group them in clusters of color...don't plant one tulip here and one there...show them off together. Dig an appropriate sized trench and place them. You can add bone meal or bulb booster but be warned...The Nutkins love that, like whipped cream for them! Go dig a hole!
