One of my favorite tulips is a sweet rosy purple variety called Purple Prince. This little poem that I wrote, a tanka, tells why this year only one of this variety bloomed.
a purple bud blooms
alone in a pool of green;
at dawn in the spring
with their shy white tails waving
deer ate tulips for breakfast.
tulips for breakfast, a tanka by Aisling, May 7, 2009
photos by Aisling, May 6, 2009
12 comments:
Nice poem Aisling - it tells the story well of why your tulip is a alone - hope the deer enjoyed their most precious breakfast
beautiful pics of your tulip
Have a great day!
BlessedwithFour
Thanks for commenting. I'm sure the deer enjoyed it. It is hard to be irritated by their nibbling the garden when I think of the hard winter they went through!
I feel for the animals who are hungry, but as a gardener, it is always a challenge to find a way to deter their incessant munching.
Tabbie,
Me too. Last year it was the slugs eating my lily buds. I didn't have as much sympathy for them as I do for the deer. Go figure! *grin*
I read somewhere that the only really 'safe' spring flower is the daffodil! I've heard of planting tulip bulbs in pots. Doesn't Sharon Lovejoy have a slug solution? I gave away my copy of A Blessing of Toads so I can't look it up. And Aisling, I just love the picture of you on the sidebar. What a great representation of you and your life!
Nan,
This is the first year the deer have eaten my tulips, and I have so many that they just left alone. I had great success keeping the deer off my pear trees by hanging a nylon stocking with hair (from my son's annual summer hair cut) last year. I'm sure some other trick would work on the tulips.
As for slugs, I can't remember Sharon's tips, but I've read lot of things over the years. I honestly don't worry very much about pests... I have so many flowers that I guess I just feel there is (usually) enough to go around. The slugs did leave me a few beautiful lilies to enjoy last year, and they are all coming up gorgeously this year - so no lasting harm done.
I'm mostly a "live and let live" gardener, can you tell? :)
Awesome sentiments and photos for this particular weekend! Very, very nice poem - thanks for that.
Smallpines, Thanks so much! I've got to come by soon as see how Little Shop went. Such fun! *grin*
We don't have deer. But with all the construction going on across the street with the bank, we'll likely get everything but! Love your tulip. Ours are long gone now!
Brenda
Despite the damage they can do, I am always thrilled to have a wildlife encounter in my garden. I've seen opposums, raccoons, white tail deer, pheasants, turtles, and I'm sure somethings I've forgotten. It is a thrill just to see them, and a bigger thrill to catch a good photograph of a little visitor!
Thanks for coming by and for taking the time to comment. :)
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