Last fall, I was provided with the honorable opportunity to plant the vast majority our bulb stock. The results were informative and educational to say the least! A little background before I go further though. As a pilot, I make a living off of characteristics such as keen attention to details, an ability to understand and follow intricate directions, the belief in pre-planning and lastly, portraying a ‘can do’ attitude, (which sometimes can easily spill over into, and be interpreted as, arrogance). Unfortunately, as a farmer early one fall morning in East Texas, I took the negative aspects of all my aviation qualities and applied them to our fall planting. At 2 in the freezing fall morning, standing knee deep in our wonderfully newly plowed East Texas sandy loam soil, I came to the shocking reality that I was not prepared. Having neither completed adequate pre-planning and/or sought detailed instructions on the plant, I was in trouble. All of this of course was spurred by my ‘can do’ attitude, which at the time leaned heavily towards that negative characteristic mentioned above as arrogance. Not to be deterred of course! My planting continued one incorrectly placed bulb at a time. The result; tens of thousands of bulbs placed deeper than we would have liked. After months of jeering and friendly arrows delicately directed at my ‘can do’ attitude, something quite impressive unfolded at the time of harvest this year. The, bulbs, did amazingly, even unbelievably well! There were healthy, large, and they even managed to propagate. The depth at which the bulbs were planted of course, (for reasons of protecting what pride I can salvage), will remain a secret. The one thing that can be said though is what a testament my faulty pride is to the durability of these bulbs. If, as a gardener, experienced or new to the art, you find your green thumb plagued with pride, untimely ignorance and a dangerous ‘can do’ attitude with respect to the ground and the bulbs that make their living in it, these bulbs are for you…they are truly, ‘pilot proof!’