So here’s what happened…
I planted bulbs from the same three packages in two different beds in my yard within an hour of each other.
I even blogged about it here. This was just a few months ago, right before we experienced the most difficult winter ever recorded in eastern Massachusetts.
There was a lot of snow.
Here’s the backyard herb garden today. Remember how I carefully planted bulbs along the path, in the nooks and crannies? It was going to be amazing! The herbs are slowly coming to life but there’s not a bulb in sight.
And then there’s the sunny front yard…same packages of bulbs, same planting time and their blooming to beat the band.
I’ve been reading about microclimates and I think that this situation is a good example of two very different climates within about twenty yards of each other. The front bed gets morning sun that’s reflected off of the house and the big windows just above it which makes warm soil, almost like a greenhouse. The herb bed in the back gets afternoon sun and it’s kind of tucked in behind the hemlock tree and shielded by the house until later in the day. As the sun rises higher in the sky this spring it will hit this spot earlier in the day. Right now, it’s still pretty cold out there.
Or maybe squirrels dug everything up when I wasn’t looking!
I don’t think so, I would have noticed.
It could also be related to the soil. That front yard soil isn’t anything special. I kind of neglect it, but it does have years of good mulch composted in. The herb bed was just dug last spring and fertilized with compost from our piles and a few bags of organic compost that I bought.
So, I’m on bulb watch! I’ll let you know if anything pops up.
How’s your garden growing? Did your bulbs come up?
Enjoy it all!
Michele
The Salem Garden 