Bulbs have memories. If you don’t believe me, ask any gardener with bulbs. Chances are, there is a story attached to each bulb. A memory. A story. A person.
The fire house bulbs are no different.
I can’t tell you his name, nor his wife’s name. I can’t tell you when she died, or how their house burned down. That was all long before I moved to my little town. I can tell you the bright yellow crocus-type of flower bloomed every fall, in the remnants of what once was a house.
The first time I saw the beautiful bulbs was like spotting an oasis in a desert. So much brown and yuk in the little ranch town. Yellow was a refreshing new color to see. I drove by the bulbs for a few years….the bulbs were on the drop-off route at the elementary school. Finally….after year five, I found the owner of the property.
A story about the bulbs was told. How much his wife loved them. How the fire took their home. How his wife passed. How his wife would want me to plant them in a real garden again……
Needless to say, I was very humbled.
I placed the bulbs in the forefront of my garden, and thought of the man’s story every fall. After doing some research, I discovered the bulbs are a variety of Sternbergia, but smaller and more petite. Sternbergia is known as a fall crocus. Incredible vivid and lovely. Sternbergia usually flowers after Oxbloods and Spider Lilies. The flower will spring forth before the foliage.
The fire house bulbs were moved yesterday from the flooded house gardens. All the memories of these special bulbs came back. Memories of days when my children were young. Memories…….so many good memories remembered through digging an heirloom bulb.
May your gardens contain stories and memories. May you enjoy the memory attached to your flowers, as they grow old with you. May your gardens bring you happiness and a fullness of life. Most of all, may your gardens always tell a story.
Happy Gardening, my friends.