Christmas in March

When I was planting my newly-acquired roses in containers the last weekend in March, I heard Christmas music in the radio. Christmas music on the radio‽ You have got to be kidding me‽ That’s right. Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Bruce Springsteen, etc. – they were all there. The entire ensemble could be heard loud and clear. There were Christmas movies playing on the Hallmark Channel as well. They called it “Christmas in March.” It was being held because of the millions of people in quarantine at home were in need of cheering up.

While I applaud the effort being put forth by those wanting to cheer people during these difficult times, and I am happy for those who were able to benefit from it, I personally do not want to go back to the beginning of winter with no flowers, songbirds, butterflies, frogs, and all that Mother Nature puts forth from March until November. These past few months are some that I’d rather not relive. It’s springtime! I have a rose garden, and I am looking forward to another growing season there. A rebirth is happening right now. The robins are back. Passover has started. Easter is this Sunday. Earth Day is a week and a half away, and that means flowers, songbirds, butterflies, warm weather, and ROSES! The beginning of another season has begun in the rose garden. Yeah!

A Small Bouquet of Hyacinths

This morning I was greeted with a small bouquet of hyacinths in a vase by the kitchen window. I’m not sure who put it there, but I’m certainly glad that they did. What fragrance! Nice. Now, I remember. How could I ever forget? While the hyacinths aren’t the first flowers to bloom this year (the crocuses have that honor), they bring back memories of my extended family from many years ago. It sometimes amazes me how a simple flower arrangement in a vase can bring back so many wonderful memories?

The crocuses and hyacinths and the other bulbous flowers in my garden are often the forgotten flowers once the roses start blooming. But, what a delightful sight they are when they do bloom in late winter/early spring. They awaken senses in me that remind me of what is to come. The crocuses are sometimes extra special because they come from what seems to be nowhere, and often bloom through snow and freezing temperatures.

Don’t I have four roses and a couple of daylilys planted where the crocuses are blooming? Why, yes I do, but I guess I have crocuses growing there as well. Did I plant them there? No. My mom may have planted them years ago, and I did have some crocuses growing in my old garden next door as well. But I didn’t plant them in either garden. I think that the ones growing in my old garden were tag-a-longs that came with roses and other perennials that I received from others. I’m not sure where the ones in my current garden came from.

Easter Memories

The hyacinths that are in my garden are definitely different than the crocuses. They were deliberately planted by someone in my family. There are some next to the crocuses that date back to 1970’s when my brother, sister, and I gave them to my mom for Easter, or we received them as gifts from her (or we got them from the church altar on Easter morning).

As I enjoy the hyacinths, memories of my childhood come back to me. My extended family used to meet at my grandmother’s and grandfather’s home to celebrate Easter. Their home was the family homestead built by my great grandfather back in the early 20th century. The house was built on three city lots in Providence. There were many flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, chickens, grapes, hyacinths, irises, as well as roses there – a small farm right in the city.

The house is still there, but the property has been broken into three separate parcels now. It just isn’t the same – Gone is the old magnolia tree that we used to climb. Gone is the chicken coup full of odds and ends that were scattered about after the chickens were ousted. Gone is the garage where my aunt’s Volkswagen was keep for all of those years before my brother rescued it and used it for daily transportation. Most of our loved ones from the older generations that used to be there are no longer with us – my dad, my aunts, my uncles, my grandparents. Yes, the memories are still quite vivid of them, the outings at grandma’s and grandpa’s home and a simpler time.

Hyacinths and Roses by the Quonset Hut

Another place in my garden where the hyacinths were planted is by the Quonset Hut. They were put there by my daughter and my mother back in the 1990’s during a time before my son was born. My dad wanted them put in an out-of-the-way place, so that he could easily mow around them. Now, here it is some 20+ years later, and they continue to thrive despite complete neglect. I kept my containerized roses literally on top of them last summer. My roses did reasonably well there, and I completely forgot that the hyacinths were there. Oh well, I do have a couple of roses to plant in front of the old hut, but that will have to wait. I am planning on putting two roses, ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ and ‘Variegata di Bologna,’ there. I already have ‘Gallica Macrantha’ growing on the other side of the Hut. She is still relatively small, and, hopefully, will be as big as the mother plant that I received the cutting from growing in a fellow rosarian’s garden.

Progress in the Garden and Mom

This past week I have been planting a rose every day. Excellent. Just some 75 or more to go. I missed last Sunday due to a commitment to the ARS while formatting a chapter in the Consulting Rosarian Manual. I skipped another day after work, but that was because I was talking with my mom for an hour and a half. I’m definitely not complaining about talking with my mom. I would much rather be sure that she is doing okay during these trying times, instead of hoping that she is.

What’s Next to Bloom?

The time has come for this edition of my blog to end. Spring is here! The flowers are blooming! The birds are chirping. The garden is getting full. We’re cycling through the different plant species blooming in the garden, and the forsythia is next. That means I can go out and uncover the roses, now. I can see that the azaleas are in bud and starting to show color. Soon the buds will open on them as well. The tulips will follow after that, then the iris, followed by the roses. This year is panning out to be a bit more special than most. What our plants, roses, and gardens will bring forth to us this year are to be cherished more now than ever.

Epilogue

This story was originally composed with a black Shaeffer fountain pen that was purchased a few months ago at the Cross Factory Store. My son worked there for a summer job between semesters at college, and helped me get the pen. While the pen is a modern pen, it has an old feel to it, and the ink flows well from it. I had stopped using it for a few weeks after it leaked in my shirt pocket one day. (I didn’t want to ruin any more shirts with it). In retrospect, I think that it may have been a fluke occurrence that happened after I filled the pen, and the heat from my body may have caused the ink to expand and overflow. Since then, the pen has performed flawlessly.

Be safe, everyone – until next time.