Bulb Crazy

What do 200 tulips, 100 alliums, 200 daffodils, 100 snowdrops and 100 mini irises have in common?

All were purchased with the intent of lining my new path in the front garden.

Starting out. Why did I think this would be a good idea?

After two hours, the trenches are dug.

Promises of spring. Just add dirt and water!

I actually was pretty meticulous in planting these.

A closer view.

In the midst of all this digging and planting, a little toad meandered across the path.

He was enjoying the sunlight on this 50 degree F day.

After everything was planted and covered with soil, I spread crushed oyster shells (to deter voles) and bulb fertilizer in the trenches.

Finally, all done!

I went to my local garden center and picked up three bags of cedar mulch to cover the bulbs. Hopefully this will deter the squirrels from digging too deeply.

So what actually made it into the ground today? The official tally is: 133 tulips, 100 irises, 100 snowdrops, 51 alliums, 83 daffodils. If I continue to line the path to the main walkway, I will be able to plant more tulips, alliums and daffodils.

I also planted seven perennials and one winterberry bush. I have lots more that still need to go in the ground, but my back and knees were aching pretty badly after this project. Since there will be two days of temperature lows in the 20s, I huddled the remaining plants together in my driveway against the house to try and keep them as "warm" as possible. Temperatures should be returning to the 50s and 60s this weekend, so I'm hoping to get them in the ground then.