Most bulbs won't like or thrive in hard clay - they need good drainage. If you can dig it up and replace it with soil, or mix 1/2 what you've got and 1/2 composted manure (not at all smelly, available in bags from your big box store) that would make bulbs much happier.
You could also take the lazy way that I did. My landlord let me take over an unused flower bed next to my apartment. The soil in it was about 4 inches of crabgrass , weeds, and half-decayed leaves, with several feet of thick, red, NC clay below. So a year ago last fall I covered everything with newspaper, got some 6" tall edging things made of brick to hold things together, set a drip hose on top of the weeds, and covered the lot with potting soil, manure, and compost. The next spring I planted a bunch of things, just to see what would grow there, and last fall I put in a bunch of bulbs. The weighted paper killed the weeds, so now I can dig down nearly a foot before hitting clay. And the upper soil mixture is really easy to work with because it hasn't been compacted by much of anything.
I have a couple of dozen crocuses blooming right now, and a number of things have come back since last year. I'll have to take some pictures.
Thank you for sharing that Scrappy.
mac is not really confrontational with most people and situations. This getting stuff thing is trying to fill a void in him and he is not mature enough to understand that. I just have to fill him with love and compassion and hope that he will eventually get it a little bit.
Timelies all!
When it warms up and stays warm we will buy some plants to put in the pots by our walkway. Probably impatiens and marigolds.
I feel hungover without the pleasure of having been drunk the night before. Ungh. Suspect killer PMS.
This weekend I am finally going to paint the trim in my bedroom. That's about all the ambition I can muster for the weekend, even with forecasts for record breaking temperatures.
Oh! You guys! I saw a band last night that did a song about working from home. It was hilarious. Sadly, it's new and not recorded.
The bulb talk has filled my head with idea. If they will do well, I think I want daffs in the front flower beds, hyacinths in the backyard, iris on the side and then a mix that will result in the longest possible range of blooming in the beds I will add at the corner of the street and around the trees in the front.
msbelle, I love your house excitement! I wish we had a house. But it just seems unlikely.
I wish I had a house too!
I also wish I had an extra 6 hours in the day today, so that I could get everything I need to done and still have time to go to SF to redo the purple. (Have I mentioned here that it completely washed out last time, so we were going to try again today.) I think I need to cancel that though, because I am just feeling overwhelmed with the day.
