I honestly didn't think I would be doing a update for our project Gillead Garden, especially in January. I get a lot of email from garden mail order companies plus get a lot of catalogues from companies that have some how found me even though I did not ask for them.

While looking through my email I spotted in big letters sale on remaining bulbs. Well I can't resist the word sale so I took a look. I did find the sale items and I had heard about the company from a friend of mine so I took a chance. A BIG CHANCE or so I thought. I sent off a email to the company and asked them to forward it on to the sales department.  I heard back from Andrea the very next day by email and she gave me a number to call her at my convenience. I called her and told her what we, in Zeeland, MI. were doing as a group of volunteers from the Master Gardener program and how the people in town offered special discounts and some other free items for the Gillead Garden.

All she said was 'how many bulbs can you use'? I am usually not speechless but for a brief moment I was. I  almost felt guilty for the amount their company sent me. I received about 500 bulbs within three days. Now what was I going to do with that many bulbs when I had three feet of snow on the ground. I called Sara, a delightful lady from Windmill Island, to ask for her expert opinion on how to save the bulbs so they could be planted next fall. Several ideas were discussed, one which included planting them in either pots or directly in bags of potting soil and placing them under my car or anywhere in my garage. A friend and I bought a bale of straw and saved newspapers in anticipation of covering them to keep them from freezing and from road salt dripping off my car.

I stopped in to see Rod at Garden Crossings to get my usual fix and get energized for the rest of the winter. It smelled like fresh dirt and I saw color actual plant color coming up as I took my usual tour of his greenhouses. It felt great! To make a long story short he offered me the opportunity of a lifeline from 'how' to just 'plant them here'. He saved me and the bulbs. How I can ever repay him for the gesture I will have to think about and right now I just want to plant. So next fall when we are going to be planting the bulbs at the Gillead Garden I will be thinking about how the free bulbs were saved and are going to look beautiful to the residents of the nursing home.

A BIG THANK YOU TO, ROD & HEIDI.