Sunday, November 9, 2008

Autumn Act of Faith




Tulips and daffodils are amazing flowers. They are bright and cheerful, providig color when everything else is still brown and grey from winter. Daffodils can even poke through the lingering snows of April to show their sunny faces. And daddy says that they are his favorite flower. Most amazing of all is planting the bulbs themselves is an act of seasonal faith.
Little ugly brown nuggets go into the ground in the fall and we wait for 6 months to see them emerge in the spring as beautiful works of natural art. The bulbs need this dormant period of freezing weather to undergo their magical transformation. It takes unbelievable patience to grow tulips and daffodils. And mommy and daddy have been doing it since they moved to Iowa.
Every fall, they plant several hundred bulbs, adding to the stunning total that emerge in the spring. This year, I was able to help- I picked up tulip bulbs and put them into the ditch that daddy had dug. Then, mommy lovingly covered them with plant food and soft soil and we move on to the next row.
This year, we focused on the front of the house becuase the tulips there are starting to fade away. We planted 200 tulips and 150 crocuses. At the Lakepointe Owlery, we added another 150 tulips, 100 daffodils and 150 crocuses!
I am looking forward to Spring!

1 comment:

Ada said...

What a wonderful rite of autumn- I love tulips and daffodils. It appears that the north wind is starting to blow- which means that Jack Frost is on his way.
Love,
Ada