It’s November in Texas. Oxblood Season came and went. Spider Lilies were quiet this year, showing their displeasure for extreme temperatures and drought they endured. Rain Lilies enjoyed the nice September rains, but were a brief, scattered show. Sternbergia (the Fall Crocus) did bloom, but I was too busy drooling over the birth of twin grand-babies that I didn’t even snap a single photo.
Fall bulbs usher in the cooler weather after a long, hard gardening season. The summers in Texas are always hot, and garden chores are endless. Fall appears out of nowhere, with cooler temperatures and the first nice rainfall. The earth breaths an enormous sigh of relief.
Fall flower bulbs are the garden’s way of being thankful. Another hard season of life endured and Fall is welcomed with exuberance.
As a Texas gardener, I cling to Fall. I see the flowers in bloom long before they even emerge. All summer, my hope is found in looking forward to the Fall Bulb bloom.
Over the years, I have been asked (countless times) why have a garden with bulbs that bloom only once a year.
“Isn’t that a long time to wait?”
“What if you miss it?”
“How do you know it’s not dead?”
“I could never wait that long for a flower to bloom.”
The idea of waiting is counter to our modern culture. I have found a bit of enjoyment in waiting for the good stuff that is to come. In fact, there is something completely magical in the wait. Faith is refined. Hope is found. Beauty is seen, even if it is just one day.
Honestly, what’s not to love about a clump of 100 year old Oxblood Lilies?
Totally worth the wait.
Fall bulbs are an integral part of the Texas garden. Gardeners look forward to the miraculous transformation of the parched earth after extreme heat, and joyously celebrate the new seasons to come.
Happy Gardening, my friends!
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