weekly bloom, redux

I never meant to leave for so long. Actually, I had a whole post written in mid-April, but for some reason I didn't publish it, and then it fell out of my brain and now it's too old. It's the first of May, though, and it's 20 degrees outside, so it seems like a good time to bring back the weekly bloom, doesn't it?


The Giuseppe Verdi tulips have been blooming for almost two weeks now — since the last week of April. This is almost precisely when they bloomed in 2011, as well. (They bloomed a full month earlier in 2012, but we all know that 2012 Does Not Count.) They're almost done, but the mid- and late-spring tulips are springing up right behind them.

I know that often tulips don't act like perennials, but I have to say: this is the third year they've sprung up, and I've only ever planted them once. The lazy gardener (oh, what an apt name) in me is very pleased. I don't know that they've multiplied, exactly, but they've been very dependable for the last three years and I am grateful.

More later. I actually spent almost two hours in the garden over the weekend, cleaning up, and now it looks much tidier and less ... neglected. The roses all seem to have survived, the Oriental poppies are staging a comeback, and there's even a chance I could get peonies this year.