Two weeks ago I wrote about the indoor winter joy of growing amaryllis. I promised to return to my growing beauty with updates in later posts. Last week I took a picture of a bud just beginning to show a glimpse of the rich red color to come. My bulb is now into it’s 7th week of growth…so I anticipate my first bloom sometime next week. That would put me in the anticipated growth timetable for this Red Lion bulb. The second bloom on this bulb is slowly emerging and will no doubt give me a few more weeks of glorious color.
This week I received an unexpected surprise. The second bulb I planted alongside my currently blooming plant is now beginning to grow! After 6 weeks with no evidence of growth, I wrote this second bulb off as a dud. Just when I had given up….green is emerging from that bulb.
Well this got me to thinking about my darn old gardener’s pride. Whenever you think you have it all figured out, reviewed the science, made the selections, set your calendar for bloom time, carefully mapped out the site, and provided the most beneficial growing conditions, nature lets you know who is really in control! Perhaps my “Arbitrary” Amaryllis is sending me much needed messages to begin my new year.
Have patience. In our lightening speed culture of technology we often expect the same pace and immediate gratification in our gardening. Time to take a step back. Practice calmly tolerating those delays and bumps in the road with a touch of humility.
No two living things are exactly the same. We group and categorize everyday. Although plants may have the same name/family, and placed within the same conditions, their overall production and growth speed may differ. That is the beauty of living, breathing things.
Always have hope. Cynicism tends to seep into our gardening life when our initial expectations are not met. Generating realistic goals and continuing with a positive outlook may give you wonderful surprises just as my “Arbitrary Amaryllis” has.
Embrace the competition. Healthy rivalry can spark energy, endurance and creativity. My slower Amaryllis bulb may have been feeling the heat with the emerging color and bloom of that plant living next door in that container and decided,, “enough’s enough…time to show up and get going myself”.
Plants and the gardens in which they grow offer us hands-on lessons and reminders that can prove valuable throughout the year. My indoor gardening adventure this winter gave me a gentle kick start for my upcoming 2016 season.
