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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The First Signs of Spring; Forgive me Flora, I Have Sinned

Funny isn't it that winter starts on the 21st of December and already in January we're looking for signs of spring?  O.K. so maybe you live in a part of the world that will be covered with snow and frozen solid for a few more months, but in my area our seasons change but we're never completely without  foliage and at least a few flowers.  If you live in a city in the pacific northwest, perhaps the first sign that spring  is on the way is the arrival at every grocery, drug, and hardware store of the ubiquitous 4 inch pots of primroses. 
 You know the ones, they hit the shelves the same day that the last of the poinsettias are pushed aside or thrown away and the unsold amyrillis bulbs are potted up in hopes of selling the flowering plants later.  They show up crowded into wicker baskets at workplaces as tokens of appreciation where they are kept inside and never watered which allows all to observe their death.
 These are the plants that are all to often used en masse at garden shows causing jaded curmudgeons like myself to say snarky things like, "Oh primroses, REALLY!  Who designed that? Couldn't they think of something else?"  (In February and March, when most of the shows happen there are far fewer blooming choices than there are in the summer.)
 It's just not seemly or at all sophisticated to admit to liking such simple and common flowers in such screaming colors.  These fall somewhere between potted chrysanthemums and flowering kale on the "OH REALLY!?" scale of gardening good taste.
 And yet, in January when the skies are dark gray, the rain pounding on the windows and the wind blowing away any hope of ever enjoying  short sleeves again, I scurry (as best as this round body can) through the blowing rain into a store to grab something or other. 
 I'm stopped in my after-work errand running tracks by flat upon flat of summer in a tray.  Suddenly, the clouds outside seem a little less ominous, the wind and rain less cutting and an inner voice reminds me that the light lingers for one more minute each day.
 The giddy kid inside (you remember,  the one who picks dandelions from the lawn and thinks that they are the most beautiful thing in the world) jumps up and down with  the joy of such saturated and warm colors selected directly from the Crayola box. 
 There comes a smile, a sigh, a lightening of step.  Someone's hands reach out and put a few primroses  in the grocery cart. I would never do such a thing.  If that inner child hasn't learned any self control in over half a century, it's probably a lost cause.
 Let's keep this little secret between us okay?  They're really kind of sweet, aren't they?  Complaining about flowers in January?  Pinch me, I'm dreaming.


 When you speak of this, and you will, please bee kind.
Today, I challenge you to do something charmingly unsophisticated  that will make your inner child giggle!

22 comments:

  1. I love those flowers! We have them in the stores as well. I bought one for my mother.

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    1. Aren't they sweet? We can actually grow them outside here in the winter!

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  2. Ah yes, the ubiquitous Primrose. Its one of the first things we order in in the Spring..... like you say a rainbow of colour in four inch pots. Of course they are usurped by the one gallon pots of Helleborus that are placed directly behind them on the bench. Its all about priorities! LOL! Charmingly unsophisticated..... will have to see where that takes me..... never one to back down from a challenge!

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    1. I love Helleborus as well! We have some that start blooming as early as the end of October and the bracts on others remain interesting all the way through July. Add to that the interesting and evergreen foliage and you've got a perfect plant. Plus, you don't have to blush when admitting that you love them. Regarding the challenge, I'm quite certain that you'll think of something...

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  3. Bright and cheerful, why not? :) I like the way that some nurseries display them in block and long rows, very colourful and fun to look at!

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    1. They're inexpensive, brighten spots in aging winter pots and later can be released into the wild where they bloom on and off most of the year. I'm a sucker for the double flowered varieties as they seem to grow larger and lusher each year.

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  4. I love primroses, so much more than any other seasonal flowers like chrysanthemums or poinsettias or flowering kale. They have a sweet simple innocence to them, and they arrive at just the right time. I almost certainly will do something unsophisticated today, but I have my doubts it will be charming.

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    1. Right you are about the simple innocence of primroses. I feel the same way about pansies. Oh my, I thought that everything you did was charming.

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  5. I always smile when I see primroses blooming in winter in my garden. Unfortunately, I am not the only one who likes them. Slugs!
    P.S. Thanks for your comments on my Romneya post! I'm glad to learn that the spreading plants are easy to pull up. Hey, if I knew you had them growing here and there, I wouldn't go far and beyond to find them!

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    1. Those slimy nuisances - I'd forgotten about them. Had I known that you wanted Romneya I would have been happy to dig one for you!

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  6. There was a time when I bought a few of these each spring. Of course I also bought mums then too (it was the 80's). However I say if it makes you happy then by all means...buy the plant! I'll see what I can do meet your challenge, should be able to check off the unsophisticated very quickly...charming may be the bigger issue.

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    1. Oh my friend, you are the epitome of charm! Truth be told, I put the primroses back as I have a few stuck here and there around the garden that are blooming and I don't really see the garden in the light that much right now. The joy was seeing them in the store and being reminded that spring is near.

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  7. I know what you mean. I hate and love them all at the same time. ordinary, everywhere, pushed at the entry to grocery stores, yadda yadda... but then there's the fact that the skies are grey and everything seems to bleak in the world during january. So for that reason, you buy the darn thing. And for a moment in time you feel hope. Memories of spring and summer and plant shopping come rushing back. You find some garden tools and you feel once again like yourself, albeit if you're planting in January you will lose all feeling to your fingers and will likely be ringing out your clothes when you get in. Hence the love/hate.

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    1. And now the darned wind is blowing so hard outside that the windows are rattling! I'm so ready for spring and new chartruse leaves on the trees, pink ornamental plum petals falling like snow all over town, magnolias, tulips, that fresh smell, warming soil...oops, I drifted off into a dream there for a minute - Oh yes, primroses; pretty right?

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  8. I buy a few every year for the front deck, and plant them out into the woodland once other, more sophisticated choices take their place. They bloom pretty much all year. What gets overlooked is the beauty and vigor of the foliage. It looks a lot like lanceanato kale, and fills in bare spots during the darkest days.

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    1. You are right about the foliage being overlooked! I love the sweet simplicity and the tenacity of these plants! Unlike SOME members of the Primulaceae family, these seem to have few demands.

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  9. I never buy the primroses, but I do love seeing them. Love that blue one, and the double with the purple edges. I just might buy some this year when I see them! :)

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    1. They are a cheerful reminder that spring is just around the corner. It's always difficult for me to just get two or three as each one looks more beautiful than the last & I end up with a cart full of the things and forget the coffee that I went to the store for in the first place. Maybe just enjoying seeing them is best:)

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  10. I love them and I'm not ashamed! I have a collection going in one spot of my garden where I have discarded/planted the ones I've picked up from the grocery store over the years.

    There are some more "sophisticated" ones too. I have a couple fancy ones that I love--one with tiny burgundy flowers edged in yellow and one with large leaves and delicate, pale lemon yellow flowers that grow on stalks.

    Just give me another 40 years--I'll be a full-on primrose collector.

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    1. Say it loud, I love primroses and I'm proud! You preach it sister!

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  11. Those are some amazing primroses! The colors are so vivid. I gotta get me some.

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    1. Do they live through your hot summer/cold winter climate or do you treat them like annuals?

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.