The Grape Hyacinth

A few years ago, my Mom planted a dozen or so Grape Hyacinth bulbs near the Sweet Gum trees. The bulbs came up well but we then discovered that they are a delicacy to the deer. We soon gave up on the project. The trees slowly grew and Grape Hyacinth became less obvious to the hungry deer.

With no attention or support on our part, the Grape Hyacinth have been busy growing and multiplying. We now have a lovely little patch tucked between the trees. A cheery pop of purple in a sea of green. Just don't tell the deer!

Digging Up Bulbs & Replanting Bulbs

No, this picture wasn't taken today! It was, in fact, taken the first day of March this year. As you can clearly see, this beautiful clump of "tete-a-tete" daffodils is way to crowded. I tried to count the blooms and I think there were over 60 in this clump. And if you look closely to the right side of the daffodils you can see some Grape Hyacinth leaves trying to poke and find some sunlight. Clearly, it was past time to dug up the bulbs and do some dividing and replanting.

So tonight after work and dinner we worked on this project. First off, we added quite a few tractor bucket loads of Natures Best soil to the flower bed. The back of the bed needed quite a bit added and the front needed some leveling off as well. Then I gently took a spade to the spot where the daffodil bulbs were actually heaving out of the ground due to over crowding. I dug and dug and was amazed at how deeply they were stacked in the ground. I tries my best to distinguish between the daffodil bulbs and the grape hyacinth bulbs. It would have been a lot easier if they were different colors or something! When I was finally done I had a full cardboard box of "tete-a-tete" bulbs, pictured above, and half of box of grape hyacinth bulbs, pictured below.

I had so many "tete-a-tete" after digging up the bulbs I decided to make two new clumps out of them. You can see in the above photo that all of the bulbs had long, healthy root systems.

Then I dug a a third hole for the grape hyacinths. I am guessing that I have a few - how many ? - baby daffodil bulbs mixed in here. It will be fun to watch next Spring and see how good my guessing was. I was careful to give all of the bulbs room so that they could divide and naturalize for a few years without becoming too crowded again. When I was all done I stuck three wooden markers in the ground above each circle of bulbs so that I won't accidentally plant something else in that spot. A project completed!

Another Sunny Saturday

Well, I am beginning to sound a bit like a broken record but I have to say it...It was another, lovely, sunny day. Ever since last Saturday we have been blessed with mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures. Thursday we even saw a high of 62 degrees. Today wasn't quite as warm, but it was still incredibly pleasant to be outside. I have a long "to-do" list of outside chores and it was just the day to try and tackle one.

But before I got too industrious, I felt that a nice walk around the property was in order. On January 2nd,  I posted that the "Early Sensation " daffodils were coming up. Well, with all of this unseasonably warm weather, they are really growing. Most of them are now showing some yellow color in the tips, and a few, as pictured below, are awfully close to blooming. Will we have a blooming daffodil in January ? They have two more days to make it!

Down in the lower meadow by the road, we planted two groups of "February Gold" Narcissus. Over the ensuing years, the rodents have moved the bulbs and they are now a bit scattered and unorderly. At this point, they haven't naturalized as promised or multiplied. But they also haven't completely disappeared either. We seem to always get 7-8 brave little plants poking through the oak leaf layer. Quite often we can't even find them until they fully open and we have the yellow trumpets to guide our eye. However, today I was able to locate many of them. They are about 3-4 inches tall and you can just make out the bud as it pushes up between the leaves. The one pictured below has managed not to get moved from its original planting site next to the marker.

After my walk it was time to get down to business! The flowerbed next to the mudroom had sprouted quite a bit of grass and other assorted weeds over the last 5 months. It was looking pretty sad and the spring bulbs planted in it are just starting to come on. I certainly want the bed to look nice when the bulbs are blooming. We also have quite a few choice perennials in this bed, many purchased just last year. With all of the grass it was quite difficult to gauge whether they had survived December's cold temperatures or if we had lost a few of them. Below, the "Before" picture! Can you find the clump of Narcissus?

After 2+ hours, I had about 2/3 of the flowerbed weeded. My back and my stamina were both giving out, so I called it a day. It was so nice though, to have the chance - in January no less - to be digging in the dirt with the sun on my face. I even got warm enough that I had to take off my fleece jacket. Now the Narcissus and the grape hyacinth to the right have some elbow room. Within the next month I should be posting pictures of both of them in full bloom - weed free!