Oct 18

Oct 18 Tulip Envy

I’ve just bought a lot of tulip bulbs - I've lost count - plus some daffodils, and some paperwhites to force inside, in case I’m bored later. Now, I am faced with The Planting of the Bulbs. I'm pretty sure that’s an actual ceremony.

I blame Charlie McCormick.

Aren’t you smitten with all things McCormick London? Charlie McCormick is one of those effortless kinds of people who make everything they do look, at once, spontaneous and well-planned. His gardens are without peer. I admit it, Charlie: I have tulip envy.

I’ve never grown a tulip. Never. Tulip bulbs rot in water, you see, and it’s a well known fact that the soil and air in South Louisiana, where I'm from, are quite liquid. Plus, tulip bulbs need a proper winter, and sometimes, you just don’t get one South of Memphis.

No worries, because, Oh Happy Day, the Midwest is the perfect incubator for tulips! Yes, sometimes the winter feels like a Siberian tundra. Yes, sometimes you think it will never, ever end. Yes, you might have a frost on Mother’s Day. Wait, I’m depressing us all.

Oh yes. Tulips. It seems like a lot of work for a short little season of bloom. Why do it at all? Here’s my reason: After a Midwestern winter, any glimmer of life is like balm for the soul. When the snow melts, and I see green, I know all is well.

Same concept with tulips, but - Bonus! - they practically shout, “Happy, Happy, Bloom, Bloom!” It’s enough to burst a poor gardener’s heart!

I walk in the mornings and ogle my neighbors’ landscapes. I take my dogs, of course, so I don't look like a complete creeper. I stare. I take pictures. I can’t believe no one has complained. Seriously, it’s just so pretty, especially after the winter solstice. I noticed the tulips more this past Spring, for some reason, and became inspired.

Ambitiously, I am channeling my inner Charlie McCormick, and planting tulip bulbs this year. It’s daunting, The Planting of the Bulbs. It requires a bit of planning ahead, but, I suspect, as with all things garden, the reward will be worth the effort.

This year I went a little tulip crazy, planting hundreds if not thousands. Its looks like there has been an explosion of colour.

- Charlie McCormick