A little town West of here is amidst a very large festival celebrating the tulip. People drive 3-4 hours to walk around and large variety of tulips. There is food. There is music. There are dances in wooden shoes.
Thought I would take the opportunity to log the little crop of tulips blooming right now on the South and Southwest beds of the Lot. The classic reds and yellows were here when we moved in. All others were planted in the Fall of 2013.
Today a rag-tag group of about 20 Master Gardener Volunteers descended on the Grand Ideas Garden for the Spring spreading of the mulch. A total of 40 cubic yards had been delivered and divided between two steaming piles in the parking lot positioned at the front and back of the garden.
Since the beds have been mulched every spring, we added only 1″ of fresh mulch as a top-dress. A combination of wheelbarrows, pails (to haul), and rakes (to spread) were used to apply the shredded bark. In areas where there was no room for wheelbarrows, we used large pails to dump the mulch among the plants before spreading.
Many commercial landscapers and uniformed homeowners will often apply way too much mulch around trees, shrubs, or other woody plants. This literally suffocates the tree, eventually killing it. Moisture is held against the trunk and begins to rot through it. Also, if the tree or shrub is grafted onto a hardier rootstock, that rootstock could begin to grow a second tree or shrub through the mulch. This is an instance where “two for one” does not work in your favor.
The photo above displays how a correctly mulched tree should look. After mulch is applied, you should still be able to see the “root flare,” or the area of the lower trunk that curves outward toward the beginning of the root system. Remember: Trees don’t like turtle necks. They like v-necks.
The MSU Extension website has a FAQs article about mulching.
On this Bloom Day I’ve noticed the Lot truly beginning to wake up from its winter slumber. With a nice stretch of mid-fifty to sixty degree days, a majority of the perennials have pushed new shoots up through the soil. Here are some of the bloomers on the Lot that lead the way into spring.
There are still crocus popping up in the lawn. This area happens to be more shady than others so these little ones are running behind the pack.
The same applies to these snowdrop, while the snowdrops I photographed for last month’s Bloom Day have already faded.
Sharing a bed with one huge privet is this little primrose. The edges of the new leaves and petals have been a bit frostbitten by our still cool nights.
Here is the lenten rose, still not quite opened yet. It’s such an elegant plant and one of my favorites on the Lot!
And finally, putting on a show during April Bloom Day for the first time in two seasons, are the frilly daffodils up in the south bed.
Be sure to check out May Dreams Gardens and find out what else is blooming this month in gardens around the world.