Thursday, March 1, 2012

Crocuses

Dear Mom,
It would seem that too many ideas and the full-time job of keeping up with the dog hair around here has kept me away from this blog for too long!
I won't regurgitate everything I've done all in one post. I'll stretch it all out a bit and (hopefully) have a more constant blog presence.
Today I want to share with you these pleasant, happy blooms I found in my front yard this past week.

In the Autumn of 2010, I planted 100 crocus bulbs in the front lawn. I used all the crocus bulb colors I could find (white, yellow, purple and that stripe-y purple) and randomly scattered them through the turf. That following winter was a tough one, and I didn't see my first crocuses emerge until late spring. I had almost given up hope.
Last autumn I planted 100 more, again scattering them all over the yard, using a mix of colors. Our front yard is small- our pie-shaped cul-de-sac lot gives us a huge back yard with plenty of room for shade trees, gardens and playing fields, with a front yard that gently slopes down to the street. I had long imagined that gentle slope filled with blooming crocuses in the spring and finally acted on realizing that image.
Our mild winter and the warmth of the past days coaxed some of these buds into bloom. I cannot begin to describe the cheering happy hopeful feeling that finding and seeing these tiny, brave little flowers gives me!
I'll keep adding bulbs every fall until the lawn is absolutely saturated with blossoms in the spring. So far, three yellow crocuses have emerged. Plenty more to come. I'll share photos if Mother Nature rewards me with a lawn filled with blooms.

Love,
Kim