Shopping Trip

I was just complaining to myself  - in my head, of course - that I didn't have anything to blog about. Then "shopping" happened. Now, I had no intention of purchasing what you see below. This would be a classic case of impulse purchasing. As a new gardener, I didn't even know there'd be bulbs available for spring; stupid me. I thought the bulb planting boat set sail last September. I guess I never really thought about it.

Cruising down the aisles... just excited to get to the one spot where I could look for some compost and wham! BULBS, bulbs and MORE BULBS! No compost there... just  hundreds of lovely boxes with dried bits inside waiting to spring to life June - August. It's the photos on the front of those tiny boxes that get me. 

I collect all the ones that catch my eye and arranged them in a cart like I'd arrange flowers in vase.

Workerman sighs... "No more bulbs you already bough... ooo! Are those coconuts?!"

"Whoa! I dunno. What are those things?!"

Elephant Ears. 

SOLD.

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Dahlias are one of my favorites, but I never thought to grow them because I've heard they are a finicky annual. We'll see. Liatris - another favorite and good for the hummingbirds and butterflies. I have 'Floristan White' already, but planned on buying some purple this spring. Done. :)

 Ranunculus - another one I thought wouldn't do well with our short growing season, but I just couldn't pass it up. This one in particular - the photo - sold me. Here ranunculus are annual... maybe I'll stick them in with my sweet peas. And can't forget about this weird Ismene bulb which I purchased because 1) it was called a Peruvian daffodil and 2) it looked like a spider alien. *I work with Peuvian families (in real life) so I'd love to send them a photo if/when it blooms.

 

Some gladioli in honor of my mom. It's her birth-flower and I can remember (when I was little) going to a crazy lady's house who grew gladiolus off Highway 29...  or maybe she grew iris? Anyway... she probably grew both since they are in the same family, but we'd buy bunches of gladiolus and put them in a vase. They'd be too tall for our kitchen table so we'd have to put them downstairs on the hearth. I love the mixed bunch-bag for a colorful blast and the electric Green Woodpecker might be pretty awesome mixed with my Zinnia Envy. As I finish writing this paragraph, I now slightly remember my mother saying she hated gladiolus... Hmm...

Anyway, the coconuts - I mean elephant ears. Workerman grew up in Florida so I got these in honor of our shared love of the tropics. I know these can grow (outside) here during the spring/summer because my new garden friend Amy, of Get Busy Gardening! grows them in her tropical garden. She also has a lovely tutorial type of thing about digging up tender bulbs for storage and I definitely need to read that.

Ah yes! The lastest and bestest. This was an awesome find for $12. I was dancing a little jig as I placed this extendable lattice in my cart. The other shoppers couldn't help but fly past and smile at me and Mr. Workerman. I actually think they were smiling at him because they felt sorry for him... We had two carts - two full carts and I just kept piling stuff on. In hindsight it was kind of embarrassing.

I will take a moment to explain this lattice.

Bam! Lattice placement. Hopefully my morning glories and giant moon flowers (if they germinate) will like it. I want to create a "screen" of foliage and flowers. 

That's it! My shopping trip. I did get some other things which are out in the garage until spring finally arrives but they aren't glamorous and pretty like blub packages. Just some composted manure, buffalo loam and some Chickity Doo-Doo (I love saying that) and some compressed peat. 

Have you purchased anything for spring yet? Am I crazy to get ready this early?