Daffodil Bulbs

The temperature has dropped down into the 50’s Fahrenheit today here in my corner of the world in southern New England. It is looking like it will go down into the low 40’s tonight. It isn’t freezing yet although, there was some frosty dew laying down on parts of the property this morning. Cold in October means it is time to plant more bulbs. I picked up some bulbs a few weeks ago to plant. I have been planting bulbs in the woods and the edges and out of the way places in the wood over these past years.

Bulbs

We planted about 35 bulbs in the woods by edge of the driveway and next to an area that I began planting after my mother passed away two years ago. She did like daffodils very much. I plan to plant daffodils every year for her. It makes me so glad to see them pop up in the spring and also makes me feels a bit melancholy thinking of her. Life is hard like that sometimes. Our hearts are so big - they can hold both kinds of feelings all at once. Planting treasured plants in a loved one’s honor is a kind thing to do.

So, after we planted the bulbs we purchased - I decided to divide up some daffodil bulbs that have been here next to the house foundation since we have lived here. They have never been divided - so today was the day to dig up those clumps of daffodil bulbs and bring them to other places. It turns out a very small couple of clumps of daffodil bulbs was actually 400 bulbs once they were divided! The below photos don’t really show the sheer amount that came out of the small clumps of daffodils that have bloomed here every year. I would lament getting them dug up every year and never found the time to do it. It was almost passed over again today. It is absolutely amazing how many bulbs were needing division.

200 Bulbs

We can be a bit like those clumps of daffodils hiding under the surface of the soil. Each year passing by as we in the underneath of ourselves maybe are left somewhat untended. Things can proliferate unchecked. It is a good thing to dig into the soil of ourselves and find what needs tending. What do we need to divide and conquer? We could find some pieces that need cutting out and spread to other places.

I do like how gardening - planting - tending brings me metaphors to pay attention to. Even if it is unheeded - a growth lesson can be found for the taking. Those bulbs have been blooming for 3 decades. Each year showing up. Before that they most likely were blooming after being planted by the very old woman who lived here before us. She lived to be 100 years old. Despite our never dividing the bulbs they still brought their yellow smiling faces each year for us to enjoy. I had some lamentation over how many bulbs there would be now - if only we had divided them. Such is life. We get to things when we get to them. There is not much use in regret in the long run.

300 bulbs

After all was said and done there were about 400 bulbs in the division of labor. A bag load and a box load of new bulbs to spread around. Daffodil bulbs to tuck into secret places and surprise corners to be forgotten about until next springtime. I can’t wait to see them push through the soil in the warmth of a sunny spring day. I am certain many others have said this - planting these bulbs in the ground is an expression of hope for another year of life. I wish my Mom could see them all blooming here in her honor. She probably knows.

The Flower Hunter by Lucy Hunter. This gorgeous book is published by Ryland Peters & Small. Seasonal flowers inspired by nature and gathered from the garden. I often choose books as a seasonal guide. Picking books to browse during special moments is a sort of mood board to flip through during a few moments of ease. The cover of this book is luscious, calming, abundant and softly colored. The casual layout of the scene invites a slow walk through the seasonal flowers displayed throughout its pages. I am currently enrolled in a class called Blogging Today with Holly Becker of Decor8 and this book is a visual inspiration that I am using for the class. I have had several blogs over the years. Blogging Today is a fresh and inspirational class that invites us to come back to our blogs just as we are. If you are interested in starting a blog or refreshing your current blogging journey - I highly recommend her class. Thank you Holly for such a fun and inspirational class!

A book can be a portable visual mood board. You can take it outside, curl up in bed with it or take it on an outing to some place in nature with you. Bookshops and libraries are full of books that can spark your curiosity. Often times I don’t know why I pick out a particular book when searching for a mood, vision or hue of the season. Depending on what I am working on in my life at the time - a book can spark further exploration in theme and color. This is so good for storytelling, writing, poetry, home tending and making things.

“You can’t stop time. You can’t capture the light. You can only turn your face up and let it rain down.”

— Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The warm, inviting and enveloping colours of autumn foliage and late perennials turning deep vermillion, rich saffron and ochres are a sight to behold - and a florist’s dream. (pages 124-125). Taking photographs of books for personal use and pasting them inside of a journal reminds you of what you were thinking about at that time of year. Or maybe a next project that you want to work on has peaked your interest by browsing and dreaming. I can picture these flowers somewhere in my garden.

Autumnal Abundance (p.136). The arrangements in the book can bring new ideas to create in your own home or outdoor corners. Using found materials around the home or collected slowly over time from second hand shops and flea markets can create a foundation for seasonal display. Try not to collect too much to store as this can become clutter and overwhelm you. A box that holds all that you might need throughout the year is plenty. As your taste and needs change - switch out items and move them on to other places. Keeping in mind - only a small amount is enough to keep you inspired and content. This elegant and abundant arrangement sits on a simple chest or box, displayed in an old antique urn and draped in a layer of gauze. Nothing else is needed.

Dyeing with natural ingredients (p.140-141). The natural collected materials laid out in neat piles and arranged in plain glass jars tells a story in colors of autumn. A few pieces of cloth taped to the walls can be the palette of the story for your days - your book - or the poetry you might be writing. The colors we are drawn to at a particular moment in time is revealing to us a quality that is needed. What that need is speaking to - is a meaningful thing to write about in a journal. It is in the exploration of these beautiful images that deeper resonance can be felt into. Does one aspect of the photograph appeal to you? Explore just that.

A basic guide to dyeing your own fabrics at home (p.1444-145). This image shows a simple way to bring nature materials in to dry for dyeing or maybe just for your own arranging on your nature altar or in a container big enough to hold them. The abundant materials available in the autumn to collect on walks in the city or in wild fields is there if we just look around with a soft gaze. We will notice if we go slowly along.

Turning The Pages (p150-151). A dyeing journal for records - later looking.

Accepting Imperfection (p.130-131). Amazing Grey, Papaver rhoeas. What are we embodying as we gather up flowers and materials in the autumn season? What is most needed for us at this time? In accepting imperfection as a prompt in thinking - I find looking to nature - it is reflected back to us our own beauty in imperfection. Time slips by as our own ageing quietly walks with us. Year follows upon year as inner wisdom hopefully grows. What was seeded in the young time of our childhoods - later blossoms and dies backs - to the essential.

“Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche