Spring Cheer

A couple of weeks ago, I walked past a huge display of started bulbs while I was out running errands.  There were tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths poking out of the little plastic pots, labeled in a whole rainbow of colors - just the kind of stuff that March garden daydreams are filled with.  I lingered, wishfully, but ultimately I fought the urge to buy the entire display.  Two weeks ago I don't think any of us thought this weather would last, so it seemed silly.  Two weeks of unbelievable weather later, and a long range forecast without frost in sight, and I gave in to the urge this past weekend and brought home a flat of daffodils.  
I have been wanting to fill our window boxes with spring bulbs for the last couple of years.  I've done research on how to make it work, winter and all, and I've even put it on my fall to do list, but it seems like every fall I just run out of time to make it happen.  And all this time, I never even thought to look for started bulbs in the spring.
The plan: I dropped each of the pots directly into the window boxes so they were just level with the surface and filled the dirt back in around and over the pots. I'm keeping the bulbs in the pots so when they start to die down, I can just pop them out to make room for the summer annuals without having to wait.  Then this fall, I'll sink the pots into the ground in the garden where they'll be more insulated over winter and as soon as the bulbs start popping up next spring, I'll move the pots back to the window boxes.
It's a small start to my master plan, but probably just what I needed to get the ball rolling.  Next spring, I'd love to add tulips and a few more daffodils - ultimately, I'd love to have the window boxes brimming with bright colors and spring cheer.

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