Warsaw Wendy
- WENDY SCHREINER
Springtime Excitement
I thought I had Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors on my hands, as the blooms were so mammoth and amazing!
David Ouellet’s “Wonderword” in the Buffalo News (December 2, 2021) features words like Flower, Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor, Plant, Soil, and Spring among others. The high temperature for the day was fifty. Fifty degrees in December. Was it Global Warming? Indian Summer? Or just plain Crazy? Whatever the case, I wasn’t about to argue. Even the sky looked a bit brighter that day and not so grey. It was an ideal day to be writing about spring.
March 20th is the official start of spring, but some of the fun places around my neighborhood—like Yummies (the ice cream stand) here in Warsaw and the Charcoal Coral in Perry—both open their doors for the season right around St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th). For me, these two openings signify the beginning of spring. My husband Dave and I, along with our two black and white shih tzu’s Daisy Mae and Paisley Rae, pile into our SUV and go to these fun spots. Not sure what says “warm weather” more than ice cream does. Even if it’s still cold outside on opening day, we are excited that spring and summer will be on the way! At the Charcoal Corral we order up some hotdogs and cheeseburgers and know that these “picnic” foods symbolize the fun spring and summer events to come.
In the outside garden the green grass begins to glisten with spring’s raindrops. Soon, little purple crocuses appear and the daffodils pop through earth below. A little while later pretty pink and purple hyacinths show up. Their strong fragrance scents the air. The tulips join them in their spring sunshine dance of joy. They sway back and forth in the gentle breeze waving hello to all those who pass by. I clip a few and place them in a vase, bringing inside the “Joy of Spring.”
Late last summer I planted more daffodil and tulip bulbs (sixty of one kind and seventy two of the other). It will be interesting to see what blooms this spring. It was a big project, as I recall now, to go around and dig and place the bulbs in the ground. I planted around every tree that I could find. I also placed some along the neighboring fence and up our long driveway heading to the three garages. I also put a few here and there: like one on each side of the end of the ramp on our side door entrance that we rarely use and one on each corner of the outside of the dog pen.
I love flowers and I especially love springtime. I can’t wait to see what will blossom new this year.
I did notice nature’s animals had disturbed some of my planting of the bulbs by digging them out of the ground. When I found these uncovered bulbs, I tried to replant them. It will definitely be interesting to see how nature took its toll. The anticipation over the long winter of waiting for the new flowers to appear has helped me get through my least favorite season, winter.
I do have my cheerful fake yellow and orange sunflowers that I see when I look out my window. They don’t like the snow much either. These fake “sunnies” help me navigate winter, as I am not a fan of snow, cold, skiing or any part of it except perhaps hot cocoa with marshmallows.
The spring rains will arrive, and eventually real gerbera daisies will replace these fake flowers. Last year I purchased gerbera daisies at Plants & Stuff on opening day and some of these hung on all the way through October. They were so pretty. The bright pink were the biggest and survived the longest! I thought I had Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors on my hands, as the blooms were so mammoth and amazing! Other colors I chose were yellow, orange, red, burgundy, light pink, and white.
How many flowers can one garden hold? I’m sure I’ll find a spot or two where I missed placing a bulb! Then I’ll have to go and plant some more happiness, spreading springtime joy around some more!
