Mud

This is the bed where I am meant to be planting my tulip bulbs.

Obviously that is not going to happen and I am trying not to get histrionic about it.

The tulips are always a problem - 3 years ago we got tulip fire - a fungal disease which attacks the gardens of people who are too greedy when they read through bulb catalogues. It causes twisty leaves and ugly mouldy spots on the petals - not really something you can live with.

This means 2 things - firstly that we plant the tulips into a new piece of ground each year so that there will not be tulip fire spores about - secondly that I pull all bulbs and do not keep them year to year.

When we began laying out the raised beds we began with the level part of the field which has quite light soil and have gradually moved north towards the heavier slopey part. Six weeks of almost constant rain has put these beds under water and if I am to get any of the bulbs into the ground I shall have to plant them elsewhere.

That means that I shall have to plant them where there were tulips last year. This warm wet weather is just the kind that tulip fire loves.

As I say - I am TRYING not to get histrionic about it.