Tulipomania

In 1637 in the Netherlands the price of a single tulip bulb reached a price that would have bankrupted me had I been foolish enough to buy it. Soon after the peak in the price tulips hit rock bottom, sending the economy of the Netherlands into a tailspin. Imagine that! All for a flower!

No, I confine my mania for tulips to a non speculative sort of activity. Namely, I plant them and see if they grow, when they bloom and for how long. This year the tulips, like the rest of my early bulbs decided that late March and early April was a good enough time to give their display. Despite ice pellets last Friday, here they are in all their glory. Probably about a month earlier than last year, but I will take them anyways.

These hardy red and yellow tulips have been multiplying for me for years. Some tulips only give one year of color and should be treated as annuals. But these old fashioned ones just keep coming back to give more.

So lessons learned here, don't sell your house to buy a tulip bulb. And if you plant the old fashioned varieties, they will give you many years of joy.

Early Spring

Everyone I know has been remarking about the warm weather we are experiencing here in mid Michigan this year. It has been enjoyable to get outside in a t-shirt and shorts, but a little disconcerting since I am not used to 80 degree weather several days in a row with spring barely begun. Oh well, such is life in Michigan.

I was checking my garden diary to see when the daffodils and hyacinths were in bloom last year. My diary noted that they were in bloom on May 4th. Yikes! I will be lucky if they are still in bloom on April 4th this year! Can the asparagus be far behind?

I am writing this of course on the coldest day we have had recently. Or at least it seems cold in comparison. It is supposed to warm up to the 60s tomorrow so I guess I will be back out to the garden doing spring clean up.

Anyways, whether it is April or May, it is time to enjoy the flowers while I can. And enjoy them I do. A gardener's life sure is a good one!

Cayamo Music Cruise 2012 (plus flowers)

Sorry, but no, I can't identify all of these plants. Aging does that thing to me, you know, can't remember the names of all the plants in my backyard, let alone ones of the Caribbean that I suspect I would only be able to grow as annuals here in Michigan.

So, even though I can't identify these beauties, beauties they still are. I loved the markings and root systems of these trees. I don't have anything like it at home. Not surprising.

The Cayamo music cruise focuses on singer songwriters. Some well known people (that is, folks you just might have heard of) included John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett and Lucinda Williams. Some you may not have heard of are the Belle Brigade, Native Run and the Civil Wars (I have been listening to all three of these groups today so they get a mention). The Civil Wars went on to earn a couple of much deserved Grammys. If you have never listened to them, you should.

Yes, this is a garden blog. But being in the garden (where I have been a bit the past week due to unseasonal temps) is music to me. They go hand in hand. The birds know this. So do the squirrels. So does my sump pump which has created a problem for me, excuse me, no, a challenge.

Anne is rambling. What else is new. Suffice it to say, whether you are listening to the Civil Wars, listening to the squirrels chatter, or seeing the music in earlier than heck daffodils, music is the spice of life. So, sing on--tra la!

A Glass Half Full

Life tends to throw curve balls. Bending with the wind like an anemone keeps you on track. Or you can hop off and wallow. The choice is yours.

This has not been a winter for skiers. Unlike last winter when I was able to get out almost every day, this year was spent mostly indoors. And I wonder if I have lost my butterfly bushes even though I mulched them with straw. Winters without much snow blanket can be harsh on the most tender of plants. On the other hand I can hope that since it was not a harsh winter with constant freeze and thaw that maybe they made it through okay.

These are the years of decline for my parents. They are suffering from health issues, both physical and mental. As I watch them go through this I try to remember them as the two beautiful people who raised their four children with love and discipline. If I have ever done anything good in my life I am certain it is due to them. My faults of course are completely my own. It would be so easy to wallow…

But little snow did not stop me from skiing. I had two great days of skiing this past week at Ogemaw Hills in West Branch with a dear friend. We dropped everything and went. And it was breathtakingly beautiful. Glass half empty? I think not.

But I am a gardener, and of course gardeners are the eternal optimists. What do we say when you step into our gardens? “You should have been here last week.” Or, “There is always next year!”

And spring is coming! It is still early yes, but there is so much life out there already. The winter rye I sowed to give my vegetable garden nutrients is doing swell. Daffodils, crocuses and tulips are a coming! And I can hardly wait for the asparagus to poke through.

So from one gardener to another, remember, the glass half empty is also the glass half full.





Winter's End

This past winter was a bit of a break for me. Other responsibilities in life called. But now spring is beckoning so  there is something to write about. There are plants coming up. There are seeds to order.

The blog is back! My long winter's rest is over with.

The Plant and Pest Hotline

I took the Master Gardener class back in the winter of 2000. Since then I have been doing volunteer work in the Saginaw community and attending different classes to keep current on my Master Gardener status. The Master Gardeners add so much to any community and I am happy to be one of them.

This past year due to retirement I have been able to man the phone at the MSU Extension Office here in Saginaw to answer questions people have about gardening. We call it the Plant and Pest Hotline and it is a free service (we are volunteers!) to anyone who calls with a question. There is a lot of information about different gardening topics out there and we are happy to share that information with anyone who asks.

So, if you have a question, don't hesitate to call us at 989-758-2500.

House plants in Michigan

Several years ago on their 40th wedding anniversary My Aunt Helen and Uncle Ralph received this plant from my parents in celebration. And this plant which would die if not kept indoors in Michigan is doing quite well outside in Barefoot Bay, Florida. For every plant there is a place, and that place depends upon the weather. I can't tell you the name of this house plant, but I can tell you it is thriving outside in full sun in Florida. As are these more colorful long lived plants that like the heat and die in the cold.

I recently spent a week visiting my aunts in Florida so that they could spend some time with their sister, my mother. Plants are wonderful. But they are more wonderful when they tell the stories of the people who planted them. These plants tell the story of my mom and her sisters. And that is quite a tale to tell!