I didn't going back very far actually; only back to September of last year. But what was unique about this time travel is that John 2011 was able to speak directly with John 2010. There were severe risks though, the slightest change to John 2010's actions could have a dramatic, if not lethal effect on the world (although telling him to bet heavily on the Packers to win the Super Bowl was innocent enough, right?).
All kidding aside, I had only one message for John 2010 - "Plant more bulbs you friggin dope!".
Sure I get a few random Camassia blooms in mid Spring:
And the Summer Snowflake blooms are nice and one of the few Spring bulbs that seems to be OK with wet feet in the Winter:
And the few Daffodils that mysteriously appeared in one bed are "cute" and all:
Even the tulips planted in containers are a nice touch in mid April:
But, more is needed. Here is a sampling of the conversation between John's that will hopefully get us there:
John 2011 - Dude, you can do better than what you have planted right now. You should see the photos so many others are taking of their crocuses and their many different cultivars of daffodils in Spring. It is awe inspiring.
John 2010 - I know, I know, but is it worth the effort in the Fall to dig through this clay soil just to get a brief display of blooms in Spring?
John 2011 - Are you kidding me? You complain all the time about hating winter and the cold but all you would need are these blooms to make you forget the nasty weather.
John 2010 - You're right, but what about all the ratty foliage after the bloom? Doesn't that detract from all else going on in the garden? It's not like you can just cut it off since the bulbs need it to produce the following year.
John 2011 - When have you ever backed off of a challenge when it comes to garden design? You just need to be strategic and plant around the decaying foliage so it can be hidden. Think perennials. I ain't buying that excuse dummy.
John 2010 - Fine, you win. I'll get on that right now. Let me know what you think when you get back to the Spring.
John 2011 - Way to go my man! One last thing, be sure to check out the movie The King's Speech, I'm smelling an Oscar winner.
Back to the present - if this time travel thing works, I'm expecting quite the bulb display to appear overnight. I'll be sure to pass along the results.
ONG
ha ha. Christopher Lloyd would be proud...
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to have conversations with ourselves because we are guaranteed to have someone nice with whom to talk. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha...I'm the same way, every spring I swear I'm gonna go crazy in the fall and plant more bulbs. Every fall, I realize I'll probably want to move perennials around in the spring...and don't want to wait until the bulbs are done blooming. And seriously, digging in waterlogged clay is miserable...
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteAnd plant lots of bulbs. I started out planting ten of each, not enough. Now, I plant twenty-five or fifty or one hundred of each. I know it sounds excessive but from a distance you know they're there.
Eileen
I made the same mistake as John 2010. Again. 3rd year running.
ReplyDelete2012 will be my year! :)
Yeah I keep tellin' myself the same thing every year, more bulbs. But then spring comes and goes along with my memory!! Love Di ♥
ReplyDeleteLol - I love the conversation between the Johns. Your photos are beautiful. Thank you for stopping by my blog for a visit. It is a pleasure to meet you.
ReplyDeletewait, do you really have a delorean? sorry, I can't get past this point without knowing.. it might make you the coolest gardener I know.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar conversation with myself every Fall, except the last line is usually something like: "It's cold and raining outside. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to need to borrow your DeLorean! I wish I planted more bulbs too, and I planted 100 of them! I should double that this fall. And more variety of bulbs as well. This is my new favorite bulb resource! http://www.oldhousegardens.com/
ReplyDeleteI can't plant these bulbs in my hot climate garden. So glad I can admire yours which are all very gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteAmazing, i have a little garden at my place because i don't have to much time for that but i like a lot to have a beautiful one, in all the seasons of the year i plant different flowers.
ReplyDelete