Planting tulips

I've always loved tulips but never planted any. Why? I'm not sure. I guess it's because they are a one-shot thing. You plant them, they come up, then die and never are heard from again. Also, they are kind of expensive when compared to annuals.

When my daughter, Stephanie, came back from a business trip to Amsterdam, she brought me a box of tulip bulbs. It wasn't easy, since she had to get tulips certified to be disease and pest free and had to get them stamped, so I was doubly grateful for the gift.

They already had been pre-chilled and needed to go in the ground right away, so I got busy and added them to my annual bed. Within a week or so, the first tiny green tips poked through the soil and now, they show promise of being nice-sized tulips. I'm really excited to see them in bloom.