Tulip Time

 

It's tulip time! It's arguably my favorite time of year, when the weather starts to warm up--at least sometimes. The grass turns green and the spring flowers begin to show off their magical colors and alluring aromas. The birds are beginning to sing again. Finally, after months of freezing temperatures and monochrome landscapes, God is showing us again, right on schedule, that he has the power to awaken the slumbering earth and bring forth new life. 

I remember the first time I ever noticed the tulips on the farm, when I was about three years old. Mom had planted spring bulbs along the house yard fence. When the flowers began to bloom, she made sure I knew their names. I loved the yellow daffodils, which were the first to bloom, but the red and yellow tulips were absolutely gorgeous! That particular combination of tulips is still my favorite.

 

I've had some tulips in my front flower bed, right next to the house, for many years. They usually bloom beautifully, although I've often wished for more. 

A couple of years ago, we had a prolonged hard freeze just when the tulips were about to bloom. That spring, right in the midst of those depressing Covid restrictions, I found only one sadly misshapen, pink tulip and, the following spring, only a few tulips came up. Last summer, when we had concrete poured for a new front porch and step, the workers trampled more of my tulips and disturbed the remaining bulbs. So, last fall, I made a trip to the garden department of one of our local stores, with one goal in mind: I needed to buy some red and yellow tulip bulbs. I bought some pink bulbs, too, because who can resist pink tulips? Then, one mild November afternoon, Victoria helped me plant my tulips, and she took home a few bulbs to plant in her yard, as well.

I didn't really expect much this spring, because I know that bulbs don't often produce many flowers the first year after they are planted. But then, when the daffodils were about ready to bloom, and the tulips were beginning to bud, a sudden cold snap threatened to ruin my meager hopes. After I heard the discouraging weather forecast, I scooped up some leaves from the giant backyard pile that the grandkids had made for jumping in, and quickly mulched all of my emerging flowers, covering some of them with five gallon buckets in an effort to further protect them from their impending doom. Tulips are hardy, but 10 degrees is too cold, even for tulips. I was able to uncover them all in just a couple of days, though, as the temperature rebounded.

And now, for the last week or so, I've been enjoying an abundance of beautiful red and yellow tulips, along with the daffodils and a few pink tulips, too. Even though the bulbs are new, it's been a great year for tulips.

Mom would be pleased.

Look, the winter is past...

The flowers are springing up,
    the season of singing birds has come,
    and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12