Crocus marks end of winter (03/16/2009)

Winter is over for another year! I know the calendar says we have a few more days before spring officially arrives but the calendar has been wrong before. Besides, the calendar is something people made up to track time.

The appearance of the first crocus in my yard marks the end of winter. We will certainly have a few more frosty days ahead but the worst is over.

Bloom time is affected by many factors. The main thing that determines when the petals emerge is programming. Certain plants come into bloom at certain times during the year. This guarantees a succession of eye candy for those of us who enjoy such things.

Flowers can be fooled into blooming at different times by manipulating the variables that affect the plant's innate desires.

We can change the temperature. Certain plants require a period of chilling followed by a warming period before they will bloom. That is why I have hyacinths perfuming the air in the living room as I write this.

The bulbs were placed in the refrigerator for a couple of months and then brought out into the warmer areas of the house. This is called "forcing" and the downside is that they will seldom bloom again.

Other plants respond to light or rather the absence of light. For instance, it is usually recommended to place Christmas cacti and poinsettias in the dark for a certain number of hours each day to persuade them to bloom when desired.

Interesting enough, I once read that it was the absence of far-red light for a specified time rather than the presence of sunlight that determined the bloom time.

Then there is the matter of proper soil and nutrition. Some respond to a dearth of these materials by blooming their little heads off in hopes that they will set seed before they die. Others hunker down for the duration and conserve energy any way they can.

They can get too much of a good thing. Too much food will either produce mostly leaves or burn the plant. Too much water will drown them. Too much sun will turn them into pathetic crispy critters.

I believe that people also respond to many of the same variables as plants do. A period of chilling followed by warm weather produces an overwhelming urge to go outside and pick up the yard. After a few days this morphs into a desire to clean house and discard debris. Several warm days in a row compels us to go outside and begin exercising in a vain effort to lose winter weight.

An absence of light during cloudy days and most of the winter produces a desire to curl up with a good book (I recommend "The Shed"). Books are best enjoyed with the addition of the pet of your choice in your lap, some totally non-nutritious munchies along with peace and quiet.

An ideal environment with enough food, water, shelter and security lets us flourish and blossom. An overabundance of stuff produces bloated, selfish people intent on getting more, more, more and darn the consequences. On the contrary, those who have to struggle to survive become like twisted and tortured bonsai trees - strong but not carefree. They are also prone to breakage under stress.

Winter is over for the time being. Spring is almost here and summer is not far behind. We should all get outside and enjoy it while we can. Put away your gloom and go take a walk. Find the flowers in your life and also in other people's yards.

Enjoy the warming of the earth and let it warm your soul. I wonder what else is blooming?[[In-content Ad]]