Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - 67

SINGING IN THE GARDEN

The second fall, I dug big
holes and put a dozen bulbs
in each. That effort yielded lots
of greens and few blooms. The third fall,
I tried tossing the bulbs over my shoulder
and planting them where they fell. By some
stroke of luck, the next spring the sunny
blooms were framed by my bedroom window and I could watch them dance from
the comfort of my bed.
From that point on, I planned my plantings around specific viewpoints. I also
learned to plant bulbs in drifts of color, so
that they flow naturally across the landscape.
Daffodils planted against the dark edge of
the woods are especially cheerful, and bulbs
with differing bloom periods extend my daffodil daze for three to four weeks.
My acres are still more bare than bawdy
with color, but this fall, I added 200 more
bulbs. And, the ones that have been on the
hill since I began are naturally spreading to
fill empty spaces.
If you want your own field of flow-

ers, now is the time to do it.
I have planted bulbs as late as
January, when there was a thaw, but
late fall is better. Dig holes about six inches
apart and four to six inches deep, drop in
your bulbs, root side down, cover them up,
and prepare for joy.
I hope one day, to wake and gasp in surprise at 10,000 daffodils tossing their heads
in sprightly dance on the hill outside my
bedroom window. After that, I'll go admire
the red wheelbarrow glazed with rain up
near my chicken house.
Although I've never had the opportunity
to recite a poem to the president, my life
has been mightily enriched by the words
my mother encouraged us to learn. She died
last November, and the swaths of gold, lemon, cream and orange daffodils dancing on
the hill have taken on new meaning. They
are a testament to my mother's love and
will always remind me of her gentle coaching as she steered us toward social grace on
those long-ago Sunday afternoons.

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JASON PENLAND

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

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Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018

Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - 3
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Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - Cover3
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