By Stephanie Cavanaugh
I TALK TO myself a lot, about which My Prince, who seldom agrees with me, will agree. I also answer myself. He’d agree with that as well. In that mode of agreeableness, today I will ask myself questions, as I do, and then answer them. Got that?
Q. I didn’t buy my spring bulbs yet. Can I still plant them?
A. Absolutely! So glad I got around to buying them yesterday, finally. What a lot of foot-dragging. If it hadn’t been for Baby waving her bag of bulbs at me on Sunday I’d still would be bulbless and thinking (stupidly) Do I really need . . . ?
Anyway. Costco was a missed opportunity. It’s been Christmas there since September. The pickings are lean at Lowes and Home Depot as well, so I did what I should have done in the first place, ordered from ColorBlends. I didn’t kick myself over the bulbs that are sold out—there are still plenty to choose from.
I don’t particularly like yellow flowers, but the collection of dainty pink and yellow tulips called Pillow Talk felt like a natural for under the cherry tree, if a bit sweet. I got 100. (I got there in time for myself, but not in time for you: Pillow Talk is sold out.)
To give it a bit more edge, Tom Pouce is a deeper pink with a yellow base; 50 seemed about right for sprinkling about and filling the big pots that flank the turquoise door to the garage (Whoops! I must’ve bought the last few; they’re gone now! You could try Banja Luka for a pop of color). Not sure what I’m going to do with 100 striped squill, but their faded blue that shades to white entrapped me, they’re so clean and fresh-looking.
I do know what I’ll do with the Earlicheer daffs, despite their cringe-inducing name. There was no question of passing on “ . . . a sweetly scented double daffodil that bears 6–12 small white flowers on each stem. The flowers resemble miniature roses or gardenias and are easily as fragrant.” I ordered 25 to go in the window boxes, tucked under the seasonal plantings, which I’ll discuss next week. Still available are the Daffodil Scilly Daffs Blend.
And no problem planting any of this, probably until December. As long as there isn’t a hard freeze they can go in anytime, and if I oversleep, I can shove the food out of the way and store them in the fridge until spring.
Q. Halloween is next week. Yelp! And I haven’t decorated.
A. Harrumph. Well, that’s just typical, isn’t it?
Forget the gourds and pumpkins: The temperature is supposed to be in the 80s this weekend, which means the pumpkins will begin to rot and the squirrels will romp and peck and the whole scene will resemble a horror movie.
My laser lights are somewhere. Two of them this year, I think. The one I use in the garden in summer that casts moving shadows along with the one that sprinkles green dots over the front yard and down onto the sidewalk, where the little urchins in their Superman and Catwoman suits try to stomp on them.
Pause to look for lights.
Okay, so the magical green dot light from Bliss Lights, is on the bookcase in my office. Damned if I know where the shadowy one has wandered off to. But checking with Bliss, I see they’ve now combined a shadow and dot thing—tormy skies. Great. And it comes in blue or green, I can have it by Monday, and it’s on sale for $29.74. Yes!
Meanwhile, My Prince is collecting bones from chickens and what-not. He has this idea of creating a skeleton, a plan he announced last night. When I said, let’s just go with lights, he replied, You’re always trying to ruin my fun.
To which I did NOT reply: Bones shmoans, where’s my porch?
