Putting the trowel away for the winter

Tulips are planted. I stuck them about eight inches deep, with a healthy dose of bone meal mixed into the soil. I'd earlier speculated that I didn't have any blooms this spring because the weren't planted deep enough (I probably only went six inches down), but now I think that my habit of trimming all of the foliage down after the blooms are gone was the culprit. I guess the foliage still nourishes the bulb for the season. Kind of annoying as I don't really like the appearance of saggy tulip leaves in my garden, but I don't really care for having to plant everything new every year, so I'll tough it out next year. I'm actually trying to plant the bulbs near other plants that will kind of disguise the limp leaves when they grow and green up themselves.

I am planning on 2006 being "The Year of the Garden" at our place. We have two places in our front yard where the flower beds are not very distinct and the grass in patchy. I'd love to extend them both, and fill one in with colourful phlox and the other with goutweed.  I have an envelope of seeds for lovely double-petaled pink poppies from my mother-in-laws garden, and there is a perfect spot in our backyard for a barberry shrub ...

Comments

[magdala]

I would agree, you must leave the foliage on till it dries out, then cut it off. However, you can take the wilted foliage and fold it over and tie it together so it isn't flopped all over the garden and at least looks a bit neater. Just a suggestion, good luck!

[laura]

Ooooh - that's a good idea!