Final Attempt

Several weeks ago I dug up my tulip border yet again. The sad performance in the spring made me concerned that when I'd moved stuff around, trying to save the bulbs, perhaps I'd done more harm :-/

I found quite a few rotting bulbs too, so there's that.

I pulled out the hardy geraniums and other perennials and the snapdragons which likely aren't coming back next year judging from the look of them, set them all aside in pots, and then proceeded to dig tarpfuls of dirt from the border...slowly, so that I could save bulbs I found.

It was a disaster! Took so long and I had to dig down so deep to put in new mole deterrent fabric, which I'm sure won't work because they're the spawn of Satan and are determined to ruin my beds, and we had to go to an event in the afternoon, but I hadn't gotten all of the dirt back into the bed, but thought, you know what: I'm just going to leave it half done.

Then husband tells me it's supposed to rain all night. 

WHYYYYYYYY!!! WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!

So after the event, out we went, him mowing in the dark (he'd had to work all day :-/ ) and me putting dirt back into the border.

PS - if you ever need a body buried, come to my house - the amount of nighttime digging I seem to do means the neighbors already know I'm a freak and so wouldn't think anything of it if one of the holes dug at night happened to be a bit longer and deeper than usual. Just sayin'.

Got the old bulbs and a bunch of new ones (because, hello! always must have more flowers!) in the dirt, geraniums put back in, and the bed covered in soil by the light of the streetlamp.

I had somehow, inexplicably ended up with an extra wheelbarrow full of dirt. Well that's odd.

So I had husband dump it in the back corner by a tree where I keep extra dirt for when I need it.

Well, a few days later, I go back out to finish the border, it's now been rained on for like 12 hours straight and I pack it down more and realize that I need a bunch more dirt!

So yes. I take multiple smaller wheelbarrow trips to the backyard to get what essentially ended up being that single, full wheelbarrow load that I'd had husband dump. [sigh]

Packed it up almost to the top and then I used the last of a bag of potting soil to top it off. Looks SO much better now that it's not just my usual sandy soil up the sidewalk!

So, dear bulbs - see you in the spring. Don't fail me!!