Being Eager: saving spring bulbs...a little early planning

This is the first year that I've had tulips. I know what you're thinking: tulips are so greenhorn and cliche and so...everywhere. Well, so what. I was so excited to plant them last fall and even more excited when they first broke through the soil.

It's now been almost five weeks that my tulips have been blooming. I've gotta say, they've impressed me. For some reason or another, I was expecting that my bulbs would bless me with about, ehh, two weeks' worth of flowers. I was pretty fortunate though. These bulbs seem to be the Duracell of the plant world. "What type are they?!?!" you must be thinking. Sadly, I bought them, planted them and thought nothing else. Now I feel foolish.

Anyways, in an effort to ensure that I am "wow"ed again next year, I've formulated my plan: save the bulbs from the wretched world that is a soggy bed of summer rot. I've done my research and talked with my garden buddies and have decided that it'll be well worth my while to pull up the amazing bulbs and protect them for next year.

How am I going about this? Once the blooms are done and the foliage is browning/yellowing, I'll carefully tip-toe through my tulips and pull up the bulbs. I already have my old wooden crate, a cool, quasi protected place to store them, and the resolve to find and save every bulb.

Why do I feel the need to remove the bulbs from their beds? Well, I have planted some summer bulbs in the same beds and would like to pop a few annuals in there too...and those are all going to require watering...all summer long.

Tulips originated in the dry climates of southern Europe, North Africa and the arid mountains of Kazakhstan. Sooooo, yeah. Knowing this, soaking bulbs all summer seems a bit like volunteering to be wasteful, hence the need to protect the bulbs. To do this, they will slumber the summer away in a wooden crate mixed with some soil and sawdust and getting just enough water to keep them from drying up completely. It's gonna work like a charm...I just know it.

Anyways, when all is said and done, I'm going to make sure that my spring garden next year is just as beautiful as it was this year, if not more stunning.