Off on a Tulip hunt!

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Some of you know that I planted up my wooden boxes along the fence boundary with yellow tulips and white Narcissi in the autumn. Imagine my horror when something dug every one up and went off with them during the very cold weather! Fifty tulip bulbs vanished overnight!

I was puzzled – and asked a question on GoY. Most answers suggested that it was probably a squirrel. Now I just couldn’t accept that – we don’t get squirrels here.

However, to add insult to injury, every specie tulip bulb and most of my crocuses also went – and plants were uprooted in the process!

What do I think is doing all this damage? Why, those %^($&! BADGERS again! They create havoc on the lawns every year by rooting around for worms. I’m sure they are the culprits!

So after Docbob put the idea in my head in his answer to another question on the late planting of tulips, I decided to go on a hunt for some.

It had been suggested that the DIY superstore might have some still – No go. They’ve got summer bulbs and seed potatoes in now.

So off up the M5 I went, and visited several Garden Centres and Nurseries. I was not going to be beaten!

Well – that doesn’t look too hopeful, does it?

On to the next one – a large Garden Centre might be a better bet.

Don’t get distracted! That looks sooooo lovely – I shall take a closer look and just see what it is…

It’s a Clematis cirrhosa called ‘Jingle Bells’ and I love it! I have not come to buy a new clematis, though. Walk away, don’t look back! No tulips here – onwards and upwards!

I have to take a photo of the beautiful primroses at the next Nursery, though. How lovely these are – too expensive though – I’m not paying £2.99 each.

I know, I know – more distractions! I can look, though, can’t I – even if I don’t fall to temptation! This gorgeous Cymbidium might well have gone home with me – if it hadn’t been priced at almost £30, though.

After all that and still not a tulip in sight, I dropped into the Nursery where my Pieris is on order. Their coffee shop is idyllic – outside in the sun amongst the flowers in the summer, and inside by a logburner with gardening magazines to read in the winter! What could be better?

Suitably refreshed, on to the biggest Garden Centre of all – surely I’d find a few tulips there? Nope. not a single one. I did get my Dahlias though – ready to pot up to plant out in my hot border later on!

I had received a tip-off at one of the Garden Centres – their other branch a few miles away should still have some bulbs in stock. My trusty SAT-NAV took me through the country lanes to the Garden Centre I call ‘Pot Heaven’

It still is!

This is where my Christmas present pot came from – they have a lot of different ones in now, but I saw the ‘family’ group of the one I chose. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the whole set!

I fell to temptation here, though. I just couldn’t resist this beautiful Hellebore – it came home with me, as did two pots of Cyclamen coum and a Carex phyllocepala ‘Sparkler’.

But, I hear you ask – did I find any tulips? YES, at last! Not a lot of choice, true, but very much reduced – 50p for 12. So after my day’s tour of all those places, I was successful – thank goodness! I have 24 ‘Pickwick’, and 12 of each of the others, which are stripy as well. I’ve got enough for the boxes and some to replace the ones from the beds. Now chicken wire will be placed over the bulbs, in the hope that it will thwart the badgers when they come hunting for food again.

Wish me luck!

18 Jan, 2010
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Youngdaisydee

Good Luck Spritz, You must of been Furious when you saw them dug up, As some have said, they planted late and they were Succesfull :))) I would have been in heaven amongst those pots Hmmmm.

18 Jan, 2010

Off on a Tulip hunt!

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