Veteran Spring Bulbs Continue To Give Garden Cheer!

Above: Photo copyright 2010 by Mizu M. Sugimura.

A number of years ago I set out a few bulbs in the yard. Nothing fancy. A bit of this. A bit of that. And, rather than concentrate all the blooms in one magnificent and showy space, I scattered them about as I had read in a magazine article about the often forgotten merits of "naturalizing" when putting out the spring bulbs.

Reading the article has really paid off in dividends! It's always a surprise (one forgets their placement during the rest of the year) when spring arrives and daffodils poke their heads from somewhere in the grass. The same goes for these tiny blue muscari which provide a brilliant colored contrast with my regular ground-cover that covers one (accompanying photo) section of my front side yard.

Above: Photo copyright 2010 by Mizu M. Sugimura. Grass is making inroads in between the spaces left by the multi-colored and drought resistant groundcover which normally blankets this area. Only for a few weeks in spring does the once-a-year emergence of these delicate blue muscari unleash this delightful brush of natural color!

The annual return of such cheerful blooms does much to improve the mood normally left by one of the many typical Pacific Northwest days when every corner of the canopy of sky overhead is an endless wall-to-wall monotony of the dullest washed out grey.