My spring flowers weren’t planted by a group of alien botanists (the Extra – Terrestrial, a 1982 science fiction film by Steven Spielberg), but they sure are welcome in our front yard! Jeanette and I were worried that we would miss this year’s show when we were in Florida, but due to the cold temperatures in the Finger Lakes this April, the spring flowers were delayed until just a few days ago.
It took the heavy rains of last week and then just a few days of warm spring temperatures along with the sun to spark the parade of color. I did not have time last fall to plant new bulbs, but what you see in these pictures were from bulbs previously planted. I did take the time to spray my tulips with Deer-Off* in hopes that they will survive long enough to bloom. The tulips will bloom later if I can successfully keep the deer away.
Come to think about it, the real reason that I didn’t plant any more bulbs last fall was because all of my tulips were destroyed last spring by the deer. I bought some Deer-Off* last fall so that I could begin my war efforts to protect my tulip investment. You have to spray just as soon any green part of the tulip plant is visible as the lovely green leaves are “spring salad” to our wandering deer herd. But to deer, the “caviar of the tulip” is the unopened green flower shoot. You have to keep spraying weekly until after the tulip flowers appear.
For reasons unknown to me, the deer do not bother with the daffodils, or the hyacinths. The hyacinths are very fragrant and tops on the honey bees food list at this time of year. The daffodils are tops on Jeanette’s list of flowers to cut and she prefers to see her spring flowers up close and personal on the kitchen table, but I like to seem them outside so that all of our neighbors can enjoy them.
