In a Vase on Monday - Stereotypical Spring

Tulips and daffodils.  Those were the key flowers associated with spring, at least where I grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin.  They still represent springtime to me, and make great cut flowers.

So, I've been adding a variety of daffodils and other narcissus to my garden over the last year or two and they do really well and naturalize.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for tulips, at least down here in Zone 8b.  Most tulips need to be treated as annuals in Texas.  If you want to have the bulbs for more than one season, you need to dig them up after the foliage fades, store them in peat moss, and then refrigerate them for about six weeks in the fall/early winter so that they get enough chill hours before placing them back out in the garden.

I stayed away from tulips over the last few years because of the extra work required.  But I just couldn't help myself this year.  I was nostalgic for some northern tulips, so I bought the bulbs and refrigerated them for several weeks in December and January before placing them in the garden.

I love the look of these dark burgundy tulips so much, that I think I'm willing to go through the hassle of digging them up and storing them - at least this year.

I collected several of the tulips, along with a variety of daffodils and a few remaining Erlicheer narcissus (for fragrance) for this week's vase.

I brought this vase into work and I've already received several compliments on my beautiful flowers.  People are even more shocked when I tell them that they come from my garden.  I guess it has become a bit of a novelty for people to be able to make their own beautiful arrangements from homegrown flowers.

That's why I love this meme, hosted by Cathy over at Rambling in the Garden.  The art of garden-fresh flower arrangements is kept alive and well.  Be sure to check out the other beautiful vases from gardens around the world on her blog.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Today is the spring equinox, and the flowers and wildlife seem to know that it is time to wake up from their wintertime slumber.

It is so invigorating to see all the life spring forth, helped along with the late winter rains.

Like the daffodils (complete with a tiny spider) and other narcissus,

the sugar pea blooms,

the Mexican Plums,

or even the little blossoms on weeds (like this clover/oxalis).

While the bluebonnets,

bearded irises,

antique roses,

and poppies are all on the verge of blooming.

Even the Florida Prince peaches (which I thought I had lost in the late freezes) are starting to swell.

And the purple martins have returned, officially heralding the start to the new season.

Dutch Iris and Daffodils

Last spring I planted a bag of blue and white dutch irises.  No plants or flowers came up last year, so I thought the bag was a bust.  This spring, however, about half of the bulbs came up and ONE of them actually bloomed.  It was one of the white variety.  Hopefully more will bloom next year!

Right now we are having the garden beds at the front of the house redone, which involves tearing up all grass and weeds that have infested the beds.  One of the beds that is being redone had a bunch of bulbs that I planted over a year ago.  The bulbs included an assortment of daffodils and hyacinths, which I had planted out front since they were suppose to be deer resistant.  That was not the case.  The deer have munched these plants down two springs in a row.  So, since I had to move the bulbs anyways due to the landscaping being done in the front yard, I decided to move the daffodils and hyacinths to the backyard where they will be safe from the snacking deer.  I planted them around my Florida Prince peach tree.  I'm looking forward to some blooms next spring!