May Day

May came in with perfectly glorious weather, so I spent the day out in the garden, weeding, looking about, and soaking in the beauty... here's some random shots of what I was enjoying.

A drift of Anemone blanda

The crinkly, purpley, glossy leaves of Ajuga 'Metallica Crispa'

Another favorite Anemone, 'Bracteata Pleniflora'

The feather new growth of bronze fennel

The unfolding leaves of variegated honesty (Lunaria annua)

And, of course, the obligatory daffodils

Another reason to mail order your bulbs?

I got a flower bulb catalog the other day from Colorblends. It was a bit late for me as I always put in my bulb orders back in June to take advantage of early-bird sales from my prefered source, McClure and Zimmerman, but I never turn down a chance to browse a catalog. One thing caught my eye: They had a little essay explaining that most daffodils sold in stores in the US are harvest and shipped too early, before they've had a chance to mature and dry properly, because big box stores demand early shipment to get their displays up early, and most independant garden centers feel forced to follow suit in order to compete. They say this makes the bulbs significantly more succeptable to fungal damage in shipment.

I always mail order my bulbs anyway (aside from a few impulse purchases) for the better selection and better prices. Guess you can add "not harvested too early" to that list as well.