We take our customers and your gardens seriously, but here are a few bits of levity to make you smile, groan, or both:

What did April Fool’s Day say when it won an award?

Prank you!

Why is everyone exhausted on April 1?

Because they just had a 31-day March.

Why do eggs like April Fool’s Day?

They love practical yolks.

How do April flowers kiss?

With their tu-lips!

Like all plants, your iris will do better when their nutritional needs are met, and that usually means fertilizing them every now and then. Old-time wisdom suggests doing it when your tulips are blooming and we’ve found that to be a good indicator here. This is also a good time for doing a soil test, as over-fertilizing can cause long-term problems, but if you haven’t fertilized in a while, you’re probably safe doing it this spring. Some growers recommend a 6-10-10 fertilizer, while others prefer a balanced (10-10-10) one, but as long as it’s slow-release and not high in nitrogen (the first number), most fertilizers will work just fine.

Once your spring-blooming bulbs are up, and after you’ve simply enjoyed their beauty and exuberance, we recommend taking a walk through the garden with a notepad and an eye to the future. Are there empty spaces you’d like to fill? Take a photograph with your phone as a reminder of the location, or mark it with some colored fish-tank gravel, so you’ll have a reference point for planting next fall when neighboring plants may have hidden the spot. Did you try varieties that were experimental for you? Assess their performance and see if you want to increase their numbers or replace them with something else. Are there some old favorites that you love so much you must have more? We’re happy to help with that too! As always, order early for the best selection: our fall bulbs are already available for ordering at our website and through our newest catalog.

A warm welcome to our new customers who found us through the “Dreamy Dahlias” article in the April-May issue which is full of beautiful photographs and gardening advice. Though most of the ones she features have sold out already, many other varieties, to our minds just as lovely and deserving of your attention, are still available.

We’ve had quite low temperatures here in Michigan this week but we’re optimistic about starting shipping soon. We ship to the warmest parts of the country first, since they’ve had spring for some time now, and work our way up through the cooler gardening zones. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy the anticipation! We will send you an email when your bulbs leave here so that you’ll have tracking information and an idea of when to expect them to arrive.

We’ll keep taking new orders for several more weeks, but since varieties are selling out we’d suggest ordering soon for the best selection – check our website to see what is currently available. Since we’ll be spending most of our time out of the office during shipping season, placing your order online will get your bulbs reserved most quickly.