The Bulb Brigade

 Monsella Tulips

 When the chilly days of April arrived, they must have decided this was a fine place to sit a spell. Because the only thing reflecting the true season, what should be the delightfully warm and sunny days of May, is the calendar hanging on my office wall.

Camassia

It's been unseasonably cold, wet, windy... And, that's made me especially proud of my tough as nails spring-flowering bulbs.

Oh, I'll never beat Mother Nature at her well-honed game. But, my mountain gardens are reaching a point where they can give her a good run for her money.

 Gladiator Allium

Bulbs, it seems, are a mountain gardener's best friend. I coax, coddle and cajole early blooming perennials, to no avail.

They won't flower until the soil warms up ~ this year, with this weather pattern, that could take until mid-June.

 Blue Star Flowers refuse to photograph well but they're quite cute along a walkway.

Allium Schubertii  ~ I think she's so cool.

Bulbs, on the other hand, don't seem nearly as dependent upon warm weather, or warm soil. Yesterday, I found some blooming beneath the snow!

Replete Daffodils 

If you live in a challenging environment, perhaps give bulbs a second look? They can turn a sadly brown garden into a talk of the town, spring blooming extravaganza.

PS: When I say 'worst garden' I'm referring to my place, not yours. :)

* Hot Tip: Plant 20 cheap daffodils, in a circle, around your special tulip bulbs. That way hungry critters can't smell those bulbs and they won't gobble that great grub.

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