Marking the seasons by the blooms

The best thing about this time of year is not the cold or the snow. Not having to brave the weather is wonderful but that’s not it either.

The best thing is that some of the paperwhite narcissus bulbs I received for Christmas are beginning to bloom. Paperwhite narcissus are commonly sold pre-chilled and ready to set out roots and leaves in preparation for the sweet aroma that comes from the clusters of small blossoms. 

 The narcissus is a member of the daffodil family. Actually it is the other way around, daffodils are members of the narcissus family.

The blossoms look like white daffodils with small cups. They gather in bouquets atop long and often floppy stems. Once they begin blooming, I go in search of a piece of ribbon to tie them up so they can support each other. 

I inadvertently did an experiment this year. I divided the bulbs between two large glass vases. I placed one in a direct line with a curtainless window. The other is stashed beside the refrigerator. Both vases have the same kind of pebbles in the bottom of the container along with water that barely kisses the bulbs.

The flowers that received the most light are blooming. The other one is not.

Once the first one finishes its show, I will let the two vases switch places. I didn’t realize that the small  difference in lighting would have such an impact on their growth.

 I have also begun the relocation of the crocus and hyacinths that are in the process of being forced. Currently there is a collection of sturdy glasses made specifically for this purpose cluttering the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

The bulbs have lived in those glasses since Christmas. I’ll take them out one or two at a time through the next month or so. 

When the first hyacinth blooms, I always think of my mother-in-law. I had a windowsill full of them in bloom one time when she and my father-in-law visited.

She took one whiff and told me that it reminded her of her mother who always had the blooming plants on her own windowsill. 

Plant catalogs are beginning to multiply.

The first ones arrived a day or two before Christmas. I am still finding them in the mailbox at least once a week.

Pictures of bountiful harvests and lush gardens fill the pages. They all scream, “Buy me!”

The paperwhites and hyacinths gracing the catalogs are lush and their colors are saturated, with not a pastel among them. I will have to wait until the ones in the refrigerator bloom to find out what color they are.

Once they are finished blooming they will be planted outside. Sometimes they live and sometimes they don’t. I find it to be too cold to mess around outside. Spring chores will have to wait until spring. 

I think it is interesting that people in my life are connected to flowers. I associate hyacinths with my mother-in-law. I also think of her when the yellow irises she gave me unfurl their petals.

My mom is associated with pansies, violets and any and all houseplants. My grandmother is linked with giant Christmas cacti. My daughter is one of the few who can get orchids to rebloom. 

When I began a genealogy search a few years ago, I connected with a relative whose entire front yard was filled with blooms. One of the Celina relatives has a beautiful side yard. And so it goes. 

My seasons are marked by what blooms and when. For my grandchildren the seasons are marked by what animals they are allowed to hunt. Other people mark the seasons by when school is or is not in session.

I am always amazed that a flower bulb, some water and sunshine can become a thing of beauty that perfumes my entire house. Having flowers in bloom inside the house also reminds me that the cold, dreary weather will not last.

The flat white sky that I find so depressing will eventually turn to blue. Until then, I will enjoy the flowers that are in bloom.