rules are meant to be broken

Back in the fields behind my house is a big pile where spring bulbs are dumped after blooming at Veseys. Hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and scilla are scattered everywhere, and here they stay over the summer, fall, and winter. The following spring, they sprout and bloom, still lying sideways on top of the ground.







Here you can see bulbs which are blooming after a few years of being dumped here. They seem to be trying to dig themselves into the soil.

What's funny is that they are blooming and breaking all the rules. The books say to dig a hole and plant bulbs 2.5 times their height, set them pointy side up, cover them well, fertilze, mulch, etc.

But here they are, doing very well on their own, with no help from a rule-keeping gardener.