Some bulbs for Spring

There was torrential rain when I got up this morning and was doing the early morning tasks. A stiff breeze was blowing too. I was at our bottom boundary which is lined with tall, mature poplars. I heard creaking and cracking sounds that lasted 5-10 seconds and I looked to see which tree was about to topple over. In the event a huge branch, 6 inches in diameter at its thickest and about 30 feet in length, crashed to the ground from high up, a few yards in front of me. More fence mending added to the list.

Later in the day, the wind settled down and from time to time the sun came out. In fact the temperatures have been very mild the last few days and I saw bees flying today. It was an opportunity to plant some bulbs. I have established a new flower bed (more on this another time) and also a dividing line of climbing plants - clematis and climbing roses alternating for about a 40 foot stretch in a 2 foot wide strip. It was along here that the bulbs (tulips and daffodils) were planted. They had been ordered from Marshalls who were having a sale and arrived the day before.

The daffodils are Narcissus 'February Gold'. These are commonly available and I chose them because they are not too big and blousy but a little more refined than the ubiquitous King Alfred-types. They also flower quite early as their name implies. Having said that, these days all daffodils seem to flower very early.

The tulips are in two shades of pink: Tulipa 'Don Quichotte' and Tulipa 'Lasting Love'. They should go well with the early flowering Clematis montana 'Rubens'. By the time they come into flower the undoubted delights of the bright yellows of early spring begin to wear off a bit.

I also received some bulbs of Allium 'Summer Drummer' which are intended for the new border. But this needs some winter clearing and tidying up first before they are planted so I potted them up individually and put them in a cold frame until I'm ready for them.