Tulips in the Garden

There is nothing more beautiful and uplifting than a flowerbed. Tulips are one of the first flowers to appear. We don’t have many, only a few. They’ve been in bloom for a couple of days now. Some are yellow, some red, and some yellow with red stripes.
Our plum tree is also in full bloom. Perhaps in other parts of Canada flowers and trees bloom earlier in the year, but here in Manitoba it is cold for many months. We’ve only had warm and dry weather for a few days now. Last week we still had frost at night.
Next week I want to plant my vegetable garden. The tomatoes I grew from seeds in the basement are developing nicely but are still spindly and tall. Can’t compare them with the stocky, thick-stemmed plants the garden centers are selling. I don’t know how they prevent their plants from becoming leggy. I read on one site to cut the top leafs and the plants won’t shoot up so fast, but I can’t see the gardeners, who grow plants on masse, to take the time with every plant. It is fiddly and time-consuming. There has to be a better and easier way.
I shall enjoy my tulips as long as they bloom. Sadly, they don’t last too long, but our lilies are coming along fine. Some of them are quite beautiful. My wife adds more every year and they do multiply. Unfortunately, not all of them survive the cold winter.
The dandelions are also in full bloom, but they are a nuisance flower and I shall be spraying them next week, weather permitting. I tried to make a salad with dandelions leafs one time, but I think I will have to be quite desperate to make it again, even though they are supposed to possess healing qualities.