Now is the time to reap the rewards for the back breaking work we did in the pouring rain last year to plant our spring flowering bulbs. I very nearly missed the boat altogether, only planting my bulbs in January before they all succumbed to the developing mold and rot. Call it an experiment in getting away with procrastinating. I think I am getting away with it as they are all sprouting fine - just a bit behind the bulbs that have already been in the ground a couple of years.

So due to my very late planting, the flowering bulbs I am admiring are in other peoples gardens. The warming effect of a south facing wall is really proven at this time of year when you see daffodils in this location already opening. I witnessed this on an adult escorted childs bike tour of a block in East Vancouver with friends. Yellow, tiny Danford Iris were popping up at the edge of a traffic circle planting and we had to cut across the road to take a closer look.

So if you are even a more serious procrastinator than me you can always cheat and go buy the potted flowering bulbs and plant them into your containers or gardens for some instant effect. It is more expensive than buying them as bulbs but you have the advantage of seeing exactly what you are getting and can place according to their size and colour for the best effect.