Too hasty?
Generally, I’m an organised soul seen as someone who’s ‘always’ on top. However, there are times when procrastination is my downfall. Therefore, bear with me whilst I tell you the tale of the pink tulip display.
During lockdown I decided to create a spring tub garden on the patio. I enjoyed the final colourful floral display, as did the masked visitors who sat on one side of the patio whilst I sat on the other, enjoying our flasks of tea. The spring tub gardens became summer gardens and the annual creations have continued. The downside was the amount of watering during dry periods. Last year I divided the pots – half were used for the spring gardens and the others were used for the summer gardens. I was not only pleased with the gardens created but also with the innovative method of maximum effect with minimum labour.
Last autumn I ran out of time to sort the pots out. The plan was to discard the tulip bulbs and plant the daffodil bulbs and hyacinths in the garden. The nagging thought at the back of my mind was, ‘I must do the bulbs’ and eventually I hurried it, transplanting the daffodil and hyacinth bulbs, and leaving the tulip bulbs in one of the large containers haphazardly lying on top of the soil.
This pot, along with other emptied ones, was left lined up against one of the walls of the house in a quiet corner of the patio. These pots would become the summer flowering pots for this coming year.
After a long, cold winter it was time to start preparing the summer pots. Imagine my surprise when I found the pot that I thought I’d very hurriedly emptied transformed from barren earth to a mass of new tulip leaves. One can’t really discard bulbs that are growing – just in case there might be another year of beautiful pink tulips on display. I repositioned the pot and waited with great anticipation. The photograph above was the outcome – an even better display than last year. In my haste to empty the pot I’d left three multi-headed white daffodil bulbs. The pink and white colours blended beautifully, and the flowering has lasted for weeks. I cannot take credit for the design of that display. It came out of a hurried ‘must-do’ job before it’s too late. As I was going to throw the tulip bulbs away it didn’t really matter when I did that, but the daffodils really did need transplanting. Or did they? They could have waited another year. My rushing to get the job done gave the tulips another chance.
All the family and visitors have commented on that display of pink tulips. The tightly knit display has often been separated by the wind into different arrangements, as seen in the photograph.
Organisation and efficiency go well together and are good qualities. However, the drive for them can put us under pressure, causing us to rush and make mistakes. A little bit of flexibility and not being so hard on ourselves might result in a second chance, not only for ourselves but possibly for someone else as well. Fortunately for me my procrastination, putting myself under pressure and rushing didn’t hinder the process of what I was hoping to achieve in my spring garden this year. In fact, it was an addition to a new tulip design for this spring.
During lockdown I decided to create a spring tub garden on the patio. I enjoyed the final colourful floral display, as did the masked visitors who sat on one side of the patio whilst I sat on the other, enjoying our flasks of tea. The spring tub gardens became summer gardens and the annual creations have continued. The downside was the amount of watering during dry periods. Last year I divided the pots – half were used for the spring gardens and the others were used for the summer gardens. I was not only pleased with the gardens created but also with the innovative method of maximum effect with minimum labour.
Last autumn I ran out of time to sort the pots out. The plan was to discard the tulip bulbs and plant the daffodil bulbs and hyacinths in the garden. The nagging thought at the back of my mind was, ‘I must do the bulbs’ and eventually I hurried it, transplanting the daffodil and hyacinth bulbs, and leaving the tulip bulbs in one of the large containers haphazardly lying on top of the soil.
This pot, along with other emptied ones, was left lined up against one of the walls of the house in a quiet corner of the patio. These pots would become the summer flowering pots for this coming year.
After a long, cold winter it was time to start preparing the summer pots. Imagine my surprise when I found the pot that I thought I’d very hurriedly emptied transformed from barren earth to a mass of new tulip leaves. One can’t really discard bulbs that are growing – just in case there might be another year of beautiful pink tulips on display. I repositioned the pot and waited with great anticipation. The photograph above was the outcome – an even better display than last year. In my haste to empty the pot I’d left three multi-headed white daffodil bulbs. The pink and white colours blended beautifully, and the flowering has lasted for weeks. I cannot take credit for the design of that display. It came out of a hurried ‘must-do’ job before it’s too late. As I was going to throw the tulip bulbs away it didn’t really matter when I did that, but the daffodils really did need transplanting. Or did they? They could have waited another year. My rushing to get the job done gave the tulips another chance.
All the family and visitors have commented on that display of pink tulips. The tightly knit display has often been separated by the wind into different arrangements, as seen in the photograph.
Organisation and efficiency go well together and are good qualities. However, the drive for them can put us under pressure, causing us to rush and make mistakes. A little bit of flexibility and not being so hard on ourselves might result in a second chance, not only for ourselves but possibly for someone else as well. Fortunately for me my procrastination, putting myself under pressure and rushing didn’t hinder the process of what I was hoping to achieve in my spring garden this year. In fact, it was an addition to a new tulip design for this spring.
Merle Sparkes
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