plants teach us so much

i am my mothers daughter. every year in the beginning of january i have forced narcissus bulbs. also known as paperwhites narcissus bulbs can be forced to bloom indoors, rather than waiting for their arrival in the beginning of spring. my mother and my grandmother both forced bulbs in the darkness of their cold pantrys while we waited for the snow to release its frozen grasp on our imaginations. february in vermont is a special kind of torture; the season thick dirt of snow banks and the mud of sun thawed dirt roads makes february seem as if it is the longest of months. so forced fragrant blooms inside bring hope.

in the last two years i have started to give narcissus bulbs to family and friends over the holiday season, so they too can have a harbinger of warmth bloom on their coffee tables and kitchen counters. i relish this gift because to be in contact with others as they recognize the joy of plants is a true miracle.

here are a few of this years narcissus joys.

the anticipation of the bloom.

pure joy.

marbles drying on a linen dish towel after serving as soil medium for the narcissus bulbs.