Whine and You Shall Receive (Bulbs) – plus a delicious brisket recipe!
OK, so remember that last post, where I was griping about how my bulbs hadn’t arrived yet? Well, never mind.
As if in silent rebuke, the 200 free daffodil bulbs from Colorblends arrived the very next day.
The following day I got right to work, making pretty good progress.
And the day after that, Sunday, was my birthday. Our older son Daniel hung out almost the whole day at our house, and he did indeed help me finish up the Daffodil containers. We planted up 11 containers with 12-13 bulbs each.
I’m going to try a new (for me) approach to overwintering, but I’ll talk about that in another post. My hope is to avoid a repeat of the Great Daffodil Disaster of 2017.
This leaves 60-70 bulbs for planting in the Parkway Bed, where they can join their comrades who were planted last year. Here’s the Colorblends Daffodils blooming in the Parkway Bed this past April.
The bulbs we got were a mix called Top 40. I have mixed feelings about bulb mixes. On the one hand, they deprive me of the ability to agonize over picking just a few out of the thousands of varieties to be found online. There is a certain loss of control.
On the other hand, as Forest Gump would say, life is like a daffodil bulb mix – you never know what you’re going to get. Surprises can be fun. And there is a certain liveliness to a mix of blooms. I have reservations only about the double daffodils that I would not order if I were picking the varieties myself.
Plus, there’s the fact that these are free bulbs. No reservations about that.
Of course, I still don’t have the Tulips and other bulbs I ordered from John Scheepers. Those are supposed to arrive today. I hope they come early enough that I get a chance to start in on them.
As for the rest of my birthday, Daniel’s girlfriend Beckee joined us in the evening for dinner. Daniel made an apple pie (I like birthday pie, not cake), and Judy made a spicy variation on an old favorite of mine – brisket with prunes. Here’s the recipe, in case you’re interested.
Overall, it was a quiet but jolly birthday, even without the Daffodil bulbs.
gardeninacity 
Belated happy birthday! I’m pleased that you have at least got some bulbs. It brought back memories of the free Narcissus ‘Pipit’ bulbs I received with an order many moons ago. Every year I pointed out the ‘Compimentary Pipits’ to visitors who asked. I hope they didn’t try to purchase any 😉
I’ve got them all now, and they’re mostly planted. And I’ve got no ‘Pipits’, complementary or otherwise.
Happy birthday! Although I don’t care for daffodils, your parkway bed is beautiful!
Thanks!
That was quite a job,plating all those daffodils in pots!
Happy Birthday! The brisket (and Brussels sprouts) look and sound delicious.
Thanks! They were delicious!
Happy Birthday, Jason! Your garden full of daffodils in that photo is a bright cheery spot on that street!
Our daffodils just arrived too, plus I was given a sackful by a friend. I have my hands full this week. 🙂
Those are the kind of friends I really like!
So is that parkway bed in front of your house by the road? I don’t know how you got all those bulbs for free, but I must have missed that blog post – I will look. I can just imagine how lovely the flowers will look in those big pots. Do you set them all around the yard?
I was just getting used to bulb planting in NH when I had to move. Now I can’t grow bulbs that need to over-winter, which is sad. I love the surprise in spring, as they pop out of the ground.
Happy Birthday too 😉
The free daffs were a prize I got while attending the Garden Bloggers Fling. Yes, the parkway bed is between the sidewalk and the road.
Happy birthday, Jason! And I too prefer birthday pie over cake.
My favorite is apple – or maybe blueberry. Banana cream is also good …
You are fast, indeed. Now I have to get going with my plantings.
A very happy birthday, Jason! Yum to your delicious birthday dinner – I doubt I’ll be getting a homemade birthday dinner until after the kids are grown and learn how to cook as my hubby is more of a take-out guy. And planting out those bulbs, especially with your son – a wonderful way to spend a special weekend.
Somehow both my sons turned into pretty good cooks – I guess they got it from Judy.
Somehow both my kids turned into pretty good cooks – guess they got it from Judy.
Happy Birthday from Germany, Jason!
I think I make apple pie cake for next weekend. Next to our house grows a Boskop. This one is perfect for cake.
Tell me what you do to motivate your son helping you in the garden!
Your daffodil bed looks wonderful.
Apple pie cake sounds very delicious.
I love your term Parkway Garden and the plants are lovely. I’m also impressed by your work ethic, I still have a wheelbarrow of transplants to get to asap.
My work ethic is inconsistent to the extreme, but never when it comes to plants.
Love your parkway! Do you have ground cover there, or is that Eranthis hyamelis foliage? What’s there after the bulbs?
I have a whole hodgepodge planted there … but no Eranthis. After the bulbs, we have Wild Strawberry, Salvia ‘Caradonna’, a couple smallish Peonies, lots of Rudbeckias, some Nepeta, some Sedums, Golden Alexander …
A very happy birthday to you. So glad you got your bulbs, and the meal looks scrummy. I’m with you all the way when it comes to birthday pie. The only problem for me is that I’m the only one in the family who knows how to make ’em. 😉
Clearly you should enroll your husband in a cooking class.
Happy Birthday! After reading your post, I have a severe case of bulb and apple pie-envy! I know you’ve been working hard planting those bulbs. Can’t wait to see them bloom in the spring.
Birthday pie sounds good – I’m glad you had a happy day. Well done on all that planting. I’ve yet to do mine…
Did you order lots this year?
Not as many as last year but quite a few 🙂
A belated happy birthday. Seems you got your wish for bulbs granted.
I did!
Happy birthday and hooray for free bulbs! Dinner looks tasty. 🙂
It was!
I hope the tulips get there soon.
Happy birthday!
Thanks!
Happy birthday! Glad you could get the bulbs done. Look forward to hearing about your plans for those tulip containers as I want to try planting some in pots again this year. 🙂
Whoops, I meant daffodil containers, but I want to plant tulips in pots too.
Happy birthday Jason .. And a lovely way to spend your birthday, planting bulbs, with your son. I’m not sure about bulb mixes either, I’m always a bit disappointed in those. Looking forward to seeing your bulbs, but tulips in particular, in spring ..
I am glad you got two of your wishes for your birthday, bulbs arriving and your dear son to help with planting. I am glad you had a merry day. I might have to try that recipe. It looks delicious.
It really was! It reminded me of something my grandmother used to cook, but zippier.
Happy Birthday and happy plantings. 🙂
Thank you!
A very belated happy birthday Jason. What better way to spend the day than working in the garden with your son.
Thanks! That’s how I felt.
I read the Whining post first, to catch up; I’m astonished at the number of bulbs you are going to plant this fall. I was going to whine about the 25 bulbs I ordered, but will shut up about it now. I’m enamored with your parking strip! I love daffodils, but they don’t love me back, so I stick with ‘Squirrel Chow’, tulips and crocus, which are doing surprisingly well for me.
Daffodils are generally pretty easy around here. Do you live in the south?
A late Happy Birthday, Jason! Glad you got to plant your Daffodils with your son.
Thanks!
Sounds like a great day. And thanks for the recipe. I have not had good luck with double daffs. They tend to not open fully and just look bad. Though I have not had a problem with double Tulips and like them a lot. I’m very picky about my bulb choices, free or not, but your street-side bed looks good.
I just don’t like double flowers in general.
Daffodil planting is a lovely way to spend part of your birthday! Glad you had a happy one and here’s to many happy returns of the day!
Thanks, Peter!
Good to see those free bulbs arrived, free is always a huge bonus! You certainly sorted that little lot out quickly! Glad your son helped and that you got to celebrate with a favourite homecooked meal and pie.xxx
Hello Jason, that’s funny, and even funnier are the daffodils that arrived the next day to add insult to injury! I like to have mixes that I have created myself from known bulbs, I’m very dubious about already mixed mixes because I think they’ll be all the unpopular varieties put together in a bag.
I know what you mean. They can include less popular varieties (though those are not necessarily the worst), plus the cheapest – whatever is in surplus supply. On the other hand, free is free.