Tulips with a grain of salt

 Leslie has pots of them on her porch. Her favorite flower, her husband planted 400 this year. Guys, are you listening? Way to a woman's heart, right there. Pay attention. There will be a quiz.

Liz has tulips in the most stunning color. I'd love a dress this color. Or a car. Or a snuggly sweater.

Eleanor taught me to plant tulips almost touching in a pot. She taught me a lot about gardens. I miss her.

I thought the dog would keep the squirrels away from the tulips. I didn't know she'd dig them out of the pots and eat them. Still, despite her snacking they turned out pretty well.

I love the insides...

In pots they last a lot longer than cut flowers do. But our tulips don't repeat well in the garden.

An expert once told me tulips need baking summer heat to bloom, not cold as we've all been told. I didn't ask her why my friends in colder climates have tulips that come back every year. Didn't occur to me to question this strident person. She's the expert, right?

She said in Holland they dig up the tulips and bake them in ovens so they will rebloom. So naturally when we were in Holland for tulip time a few years ago, I asked about this. When the tulip grower finally finished laughing, (and saying things in Dutch and pointing at me, and laughing some more), he told me no. No way. Not. Then he laughed some more.

The lessons?  Take everything with a grain of salt. Just because a supposed expert says it doesn't mean it's true. Be prepared for ridicule when you ask questions. And keep asking. How else will you figure things out?