I still don’t have all the spring bulb orders in yet, but here’s a glimpse of future glory.

           What?  Doesn’t look very glorious? Well, how about these?              
Believe it or not, there are more than 500 plants stored in these bags, and more than 300 tulips in the boxes below. When it comes to spring bulbs, what you see isn’t what you get.  You have to have faith that dried up, hard brown things will grow and produce displays like this Aladdin’s carpet:

I’ve learned that you need pretty large numbers to get a decent display of spring color. So if you’re thinking about planting spring bulbs for the first time, don’t be afraid to think big.  You’ll only be sorry this fall as you plant and plant and plant. In the spring, you will be joyous!

But what if you’re tempted in Costco or at your local hardware store by a small bag of bulbs? Go for it. Even a few dozen daffodils beside your doorway are so welcoming in spring and narcissus will often naturalize and spread without any further help from the gardener.And who doesn’t like to have their faith rewarded like that?