Sleep, Little Bulbs, and Dream of Spring

Last spring, as the snow melted and the sun began to shine, I was delighted to discover crocuses coming up in my front lawn. By the time the grass grew long enough to need mowing the crocuses were finished blooming, so I was able to mow without hurting them. I promised myself then that I'd plant more crocuses this fall. My sis brought, and planted for me, a couple dozen mixed daffodil bulbs for my birthday a few weeks ago, but I hadn't had time or money to get more crocus bulbs until today. I had to make a trip down to where I used to live, and I had $10 to indulge myself, so I stopped at Home Depot to pick up some more crocus bulbs. Since it is so late in the season, all their bulbs were on sale for 75% off. My measly $10 bought me 4 dozen bulbs. A dozen crocuses, a dozen anemones, a dozen miniature irises, and a dozen hyacinths. All but the hyacinths are early and very early spring bloomers, the hyacinths bloom mid-spring.

I split the crocus bulbs into two groups, and planted those in the lawn between the northern tree and the bird feeder - right outside my window here. Between the bird feeder and the southern tree, I planted all the anemone bulbs in a group. Those should eventually spread outward and become an early-spring blanket in the middle of the lawn. Out toward the road a little more, I planted the miniature irises in another grouping. I love the idea of having a lawnful of early spring flowers; I'll probably continue to add groupings of bulbs each fall, filling in the gaps. I planted half the hyacinths along the walkway to the front door, and the other half in the front flower bed with the grape hyacinths and hostas. Next to that bed is a small half-barrel planter, my sis planted some of the daffodils in there, so there should be a nice display of spring flowers along the front of the house, too. The nice thing about having hyacinths right underneath the windows is that during their flowering season there are usually some days warm enough to open windows a little, and I'll be able to smell the hyacinths on the breeze.

The scent of hyacinth is one of my favorites and has been since I was a child. It is a promise of warmth and sunshine and light. My maternal grandmother always bought my mother a potted hyacinth or lily for Easter; the scent of hyacinth returns me instantly to my childhood. I feel the closeness of my family, and the excitement of new spring coats and hats, a new Easter dress, and a new pair of white patent leather shoes. I don't know what Mom did with the lilies once they were spent, but she used to plant the hyacinths in the flower bed that ran along the back of our house. Many of those hyacinth plants were right under my bedroom window, and would "double my pleasure" each spring - the scent of the hyacinths in the pot on a cabinet in the living room, and the scent of hyacinths wafting into my bedroom on a soft, sunny spring breeze.

Deep in January, when the wind is bitter and the ground shrouded in white, I will smile when I think of my little bulbs slumbering snug in the ground, waiting for spring to rouse them from their beds.