Bulbs Planted in the Fall Should Bloom in Spring

Bulbs make gardening easy, especially with beginners. They require nothing more than good drainage and water. If you want to get fancy, putting some bone meal and compost with the garden soil helps make bigger blooms. But, neither are required unless the soil you are working with is very poor. Clay soil is a good example for needing extra care.

Last year, I made a small garden to plant some irises. This year, I decided to extend that garden so I could have more flowers. Most of the work involved digging up grass and loosening dirt. Once that was done, I measured the length to determine how many stones I needed. My husband helped me keep the stones straight as I put them in place and helped carry them.

Garden Extension for BulbsGarden Extension for Bulbs

Bulbs Used in New Garden

I chose three different colors of tulip and one kind of purple allium (purple  sensation) for the new space. The tulip varieties are Apricot Impression, Purple Prince, and Parade. When I was looking at bulbs at my local nursery, I couldn’t resist getting some crocuses. They look wonderful in any yard and are super easy to grow. For my walkway area, I bought ten bulbs of crocus Jeanne d’Arc.

Crocus Bulbs Bulbs

After all the hard work of cultivating and placing stones, the fun part begins: placing bulbs in colorful arrangements! Well, there’s still some digging involved, but it’s worth every sore muscle. Because in spring, there should be a beautiful, natural bouquet.

Bulbs for Fall Planting Bulbs for Fall Planting

I can’t wait until springtime when these bulbs will pop up and produce gorgeous blooms. This whole project took me two days, working a couple hours each day, to get finished. Luckily, my yard received a good dose of rain before I started, making it easier to dig up grass. A liner could be used to better keep out Bermuda grass, but I prefer to just keep a close trim around the stones. I am very happy with the new garden and will enjoy it for years to come.

Pretty Crocheted Tulips That Never Fade

Tulips

When I began looking for floral patterns for my spring purse, I came across a beautiful one for tulips. It’s one composed only of symbols, but it is straightforward. Handmade-Paradise.ru is where I found it. The website is in Russian, but navigable because of the universal language of crochet. These tulips are especially tiny because of the thread and hook used. It takes quite some patience and an eye for detail to make these, but I think they are worth it.

Tools Used

Pictured above are some of the tools needed. This was the second time trying to work with these flowers, so I ended up needing more tools before finishing the project. Here is a complete list of what I used:

Size 8 Hook

Size 20 Lizbeth Yarn

Scissors

Flush Cutters

Floral Wire Gauge 22

Sewing Needle

Fabric Glue

Crocheted Flower Parts

Nylon Flat-Nosed Pliers

Tulip Symbol Pattern

Before putting the tulips together, the parts must be constructed. Below are the symbol diagrams for the leaf, stem, and fringed tulip parts. Crochet one stem and one leaf, or two, if desired. Then crochet both parts of the tulip. Start with a green color for the base of one of the petal layers. After round 3, switch from green to whatever color is desired for the tulip. The second petal layer can be crocheted all with the same color chosen for the tulip.

Tulip Stem and Leaf Symbol PatternFrilled Tulips Symbol Pattern

Below are some pictures of the process of construction. First, I took the solid-colored petal layer and put the floral wire through two different holes so that it was centered. Then I took the green petal layer and pulled the center hole over the doubled wire. After making sure the petals were positioned properly, I used flat-nosed pliers to crimp them in place. I twisted the wire as best I could for added security. At this point, I took the stem piece and slip-stitched it around the floral wire. Once I got to the end of the stem, I used the flush cutters to cleanly cut the wire. Then I sewed the leaves onto each stem and glued the ends to avoid fraying.

Tulip and Floral WireTulip How ToTwisted WireStarting Stem Time to Cut WireTulips Ready for LeavesGlue Time

This project was very enjoyable, and now I have a pretty, non-fading bouquet. The basket below is one I crocheted from a pattern I found on snowcatcher.net. That site has been my go-to for years when it comes to snowflake patterns. There are other gems like the basket as well. The wonderful lady who comes up with the patterns offers a PDF booklet for donations. There are some patterns in the booklet that are not on her site. It’s definitely worth a look.

Tulips in Basket

 

 

 

Beautiful Blooms in My Yard Merit Labor Involved

Last year, my husband and I decided to make our yard pretty by planting various flowers. We both really enjoy roses, so we went a little nuts and planted six plants in the front yard. These roses are special though because they are the Knock Out variety.  All Knock Out Roses bloom from early spring to the first frost in zones 5-11 with little care. While the company states the roses do not need dead-heading, I still cut off the spent blooms to encourage more. After the roses are finished blooming their first time, I will prune and fertilize them.

Rose Blooms Rose Blooms Rose Blooms Rose Blooms Rose Blooms Rose Blooms

While the roses look very nice, there are other flowers vying for attention. I planted four irises last spring, and only two survived. Luckily, the two that survived are different colors. Irises do very well if they like where they’re planted. Last year, the blue iris had only one flower while the pink had none at all. It’s amazing what a year can do! Look at all those blooms!

Blooms of Irises

My love of bulbs compelled me to plant tulips and daffodils in the fall. These early-blooming variety of tulips are gorgeous. Both daffodil varieties here are very fragrant, and their blooms last for about a week.

Tulip Blooms Tulip BloomsTulip BloomsTulip Blooms
Daffodil BloomPink TulipBlooms of Big Daffodil

There are yet more blooms in the backyard with more to come in the summer. The lilac bush was planted last spring, and it has a bit of a flourish. It will take a couple more years before it truly shines. Fragrant buds have opened from the Dianthus plants, giving off a wonderful scent. A Salvia survived the winter to produce many flower heads this spring. All these blooms encourage hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to come into the yard.

First Lilac BloomDianthus BloomsBlooming Salvia

Even my little crape myrtle survived after enduring quite a lot. My husband surprised me one day.  He brought it home,  dug a hole, and planted it. It was doing just fine until he mowed over it. That happened just before the weather turned cold. The little plant managed to grow some leaves only to have them chewed off and be pooped on by some animal. I thought it didn’t stand a chance through the winter. This picture is proof of how hardy the crape myrtle is.

Hardy Crape Myrtle

Last, but not least, are the blooming berries. My husband and I made an above-ground planter for them last spring. We planted two thornless blackberries, two raspberries, and two blueberries. They all survived the winter fairly well except for one raspberry plant. It is very tiny compared to its companion. Time and good pruning are needed to get a bountiful crop. In another year or so, they should greatly increase fruit yield.

Blooms of BlackberriesBlooms of RaspberryBuds of Chandler Blueberry