New Beginnings
When I started to write this post I intended to share reflections of my first Spring in Atlanta – the beauty and surprise I felt with the incredible variety of Spring Flowers growing in my new front yard.
But as I sat down I received a note from my friend, Laura Munson. Laura is heading into Lake Forest to do an “Evening of Conversation” with Jenniffer Weigel on March 12th. I’ve been following Laura’s journey since my move to Lake Forest for her mother and my mother became very dear friends late in life. Although we didn’t grow up together I’ve heard so many stories about her that I feel as though we were childhood friends.
While she became well known for her memoir “This Is Not The Story You Think It Is….: A Season of Unlikely Happiness,” It’s an article she wrote last year called “Certain Uncertainity” that recently caught my attention. It really resonated with me – for we’ve all created dreams for our future and often our devotion and attachment to them make them almost impossible to achieve. Yet, we’re always surprised and then crushed with disappointment when the dream we’ve spent years cultivating doesn’t materialize.
In nature – more than any other season Springtime really illustrates that concept. For each Fall you plant your bulbs with a vision for how they will turn out and wait patiently and expectedly over the cold winter for that beautiful blast of color in your yard. And as everyone knows – especially in the Midwest, your yard really remains a mystery until the bulbs start to pop up – some have made it, others are eaten by deer and many remain dormant.
You might feel a bit wistful when your neighbors’ yards turn out beautifully, but as the Spring progresses you’ll notice a few more unexpected bulbs from previous years pop out, you add pots on your front doorstep to bring some color and your yard slowly but surely becomes a lovely thing to witness. Perhaps not the dream you envisioned in the Fall but with a little creativity it might become even more beautiful.
So this month I invite each of you to sit with the uncertainly of what is blooming in your yard and know that no matter whatever pops up it will be beautiful. And with that thought in mind we asked our friend Eileen Looby Weber from Lake Forest Flowers to demonstrate how to plant a little “certain uncertainity” with an indoor blub container.
PS. If you live locally I hope I see you in Lake Forest at Gorton Community Center on March 12th. If you haven’t heard Laura or Jenniffer speak – you’re in for something special!
Spring Bulb Basket
Prep Time 15 minutes Blooming Time begins after a few days |
Components
1 – 10” basket of choice (at least 4-5 inches deep) with a plastic liner
12 bulbs “starts”* of choice: 3 tulips, 3 tete Daffodils, 3 hyacinths, 3 muscari
4 cups of potting soil
1-2 handfuls of green sheet moss
6 pieces of pencil pussy willow
Step 1 – Start with a basket with clean plastic liner
Step 2 – Add 1.5 cups of potting soil to the bottom of the liner
Step 3 – Place the tulip bulbs in the liner to one side
Step 4 – Place the tete daffodils in the liner opposite the tulips
Step 5 – Place the hyacinth bulbs between next to the tulips leaving a space for the muscari
Step 6 – Place the muscari bulbs in the space between the hyacinths and the daffodils 
Step 7 – Add potting soil to fill in between bulbs
Step 8 – Add 1 cup of water to the bulb garden without causing soil to spill over the liner
Step 9 – Spread the sheet moss on top of the soil between the bulbs for a “finished look.” 
Step 10 – Add the pussy willows to the basket in a group between the tulip bulbs Water the bulb garden approximately 2 -3 times per week. Keep the garden away from heat and direct sunlight to prolong bloom.
* Example of bulb starts 
Zen Toolkit
You can mist the petals of your flowering bulbs with water once a day to keep the flowers looking fresh
Zen Moment
“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
– May Sarton
