The girls and I panted bulbs this week. We prepared a small garden, and planted about 50 bulbs. Mostly Daffodils and Crocus, and some Paper Whites too. Some of the bulbs did not look so healthy, and I am hoping that this corner of the garden will have enough Spring sun and that the soil is well drained. This will be my second year of growing bulbs and I am still very much a beginner. I have a grand vision for our bulb garden, but limited landscaping funds, and all work having to be done by myself means small steps. We now have very simple and cute little bulb garden.  While it seems far from what I hope for, I am feeling a sense of pride and appreciation for our efforts as we did it ourselves, and we did it together.

It took us a about 4 hours to get the space ready for planting. I needed to dig up and relocate an old gnarled ivy plant that was not growing very well. We then had to rake leaves, and dig up the compacted grassy soil, allowing air to get in. With the loose dirt we formed a raised bed and put rocks around it. It was then time to lay out the bulbs. We did this by randomly placing them all over the bed – and then we planted them – with some organic bulb food. The children helped at various stages of the project, and intermittently played ‘Garden Shop’ under the dogwood tree.

In the days after doing this I have been feeling the physical effects of hours of digging raking and planting. It gives me so much respect for people who do physically demanding work constantly. I have been visualising my bulbs waking up, the roots descending from the core. We will be excited to see the green stalks peeping through next Spring. Goodness, I hope they grow, and bloom!