Winter bulbs

All the tulips planted in December are now out of the cold room. They are called Lucky Strike and I hope so. They are Triumph tulips, the variety I find the best for forcing. Outside in the back garden, I use Darwins. These are the very tall tulips with big blooms. This variety is the most reliable to return another year but hey! this is Thunder Bay and many do not reappear. I plant very deep and hope for the best. Happliy, the Darwins are usually the cheapest tulips at Vanderwees. They are in a big bin.

One mauve hyacinth is blooming in the kitchen along with the last amaryllis. Two other hyacinths are in bud on the back porch. But, alas, a gardener's life is not a happy one. Two hyacinths dropped their buds. Why? This means they won't bloom at all this year. Too cold in the porch?? A disease of some kind? An invisible pest? I will head to Garden Web at and ask the gardeners on the bulb forum. See links at the right.