Early Spring Bulbs, Flowers and Buds

We are expecting more snow this week. It’s annoying because I hate it, but I also need to make arrangements to get our Subaru Forester in for a milestone visit at about 50,000 Miles. It’s a trip to Alexandria that I dread. While contemplating the best day and time, we took our usual walk to the Mall. The sun was trying to come out - a bit of an unusual sight these days. Sunshine always makes me feel so much better! So today we were on the look out for anything that hinted at the upcoming spring season. My husband loves spring - it’s his birthday and it’s also Persian new year. It started at the US Botanic Garden - the reddish little blooms on the bushes along the sidewalk; then the yellows showing at the Air and Space Museum; the tiny whites at the Sackler garden; a little rose in front of the building museum; and of course all the little bulb greens sprouting up near the Bartholdi fountain gardens. And to bring it all inside we have white tulips displayed in our wall vase. It is a wonderful time of year. Why does it have to snow? 

Blue Skies and Big Buds

After two days of howling winds we decided to walk yesterday afternoon to the Sackler Museum for a program. Unfortunately the speaker didn’t arrive because of the storm so the program was canceled - but no one bothered to tell us! Around the Sackler Gallery the buds on the trees are about to burst open. Last year they did bloom early only to be frozen out by an ice storm the following week. So this morning when we ambled down in the same direction, we wondered if any of the buds made any headway. Not quite! But some of the little bulb flowers are really taking shape - especially in the beds that face the south. You could see some wind damage along the way - several lamp post lanterns were just hanging on tilted to the side. There was a large tree on the mall that lost a huge branch. But the skies were a beautiful blue and this is my husband’s favorite time of year. Every day brings more color and growth. In the US Botanuc Garden the daffodil beds were about to burst. So this will probably be the week for major transformation. Hopefully the ice will stay away this year. 

Patio Garden Head Start

Everything on and in the tiny patio garden looks scruffy. After twelve years, we finally found some foot rests that go with the existing furniture. So yesterday we decided to unpack them to see how they looked. Because it was unusually lovely yesterday, I started to attack the scruffy stuff in the garden - having no mercy on the clematis vine that was taking over the fence. Between that and the ivy that was crawling everywhere, the trim was long past due. The only things I hesitated to cut were the hydrangea bushes. I did that one year and didn’t have one bloom all season. So now we can really see the spring bulb greens emerging among the garden statues and birdbath. Once we were done the sparrows were searching for scraps for their nests, the squirrels were checking for lost treasure, and all of them were hoping we would set up the watering hole. It does look much neater and it is the only patio garden in our condo complex. It really is a secret garden in this very urban neighborhood and we are looking forward to using it again. But I have to remember it’s only February. 

The First Daffodil

My husband dislikes them, but I love seeing them. After a snowy afternoon yesterday, I wasn’t expecting to see a lot of anything when we took our morning walk to the National Mall. But then I remembered that it was almost 70 degrees last week. When we approached the unusually crowded air and space museum someone was taking a photo of the first pink blooms of the year. And when we reached the gardens by the Hirshhorn Museum, there was the first daffodil! A layer of melting ice and snow was visible along the way, but every bud or flower in the colorful mix was a sight to see. The gardeners place little signs that identify the flower and this lovely yellow bulb flower is fittingly called “February Gold.” Mixed in between the greens and sticks were a few winter pansies. This is definitely the time to be in town because every day promises something even more lovely. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the sun. What a difference it makes. 

Hyacinth and Paperwhite Bulbs

I received a lovely bouquet of tulips for my retirement this week from a dear friend in Milwaukee. And I also received two bulb plants from a dear friend in DC. The tulips are sitting on the dining room table - that was a no brainer! The bulbs, on the other hand, took the two of us to read the instructions to figure out how we can hopefully bring the hyacinth and Paperwhites to fruition. We put the recommended water level in the glass vase, stuck the hyacinth bulb just above the water line, and placed it on the closet shelf, since we don't have a basement or cellar. We will check on it every week over the next few and keep our fingers crossed for any sign of life. The Paperwhites came with the planting soil they required, but first needed to be expanded by dumping the small round disk of dirt into a bowl and adding two cups of water. We planted the three bulbs in the pot with the burlap liner, added some rocks for stability, and put it directly in the sunlight on the kitchen table. So now we will wait and see what happens. The tulips will be long gone by the time the bulbs bloom. And that's what makes each so special - the friends, I mean!