The other day I was out and about (as happens often) when I was surprised by the sight of a couple hyacinths coming up. It's not that I'm surprised that the hyacinths are emerging but rather that I didn't realize they where there to begin with! This would be one of those time where plant labels would have come in handy like the folks over at Gardening Gone Wild are talking about this month. Even a road map (planting map) would have helped, or a little list of where stuff is and what is in each garden bed. A list, now why didn't I think of that earlier?
You might be wondering how I lost my hyacinths. I was too at first but then I remembered Valentine's Day 2008. I've never been one to purchase dead flowers to give away. Sure I've done it before but there seems to be something morally wrong about buying plants that are destined to die. But since the plants live to grow more flowers and are specifically grown for cuttings it's really just a preference in my head. I suppose it's the idea that I couldn't plant them in the garden that seems wasteful. Anyway last year I bought a pot of hyacinths for my wife. Their heady fragrance filled our house until the blooms faded and afterward I moved the plant to the garage where I promptly forgot about them. A while later (a month or two, I'm not really sure it could have been longer) I finally took the bulbs from the pot and put them in the garden. I wasn't very optimistic about the hyacinths as I had neglected them for a while but planting them was worth a shot. If they were dead I was adding organic matter, if not I was getting more blooms next year. Then gardening got busy. Months of projects, posts, planning, planting and propagating ensued and the little spring blooming hyacinths were forgotten.
During my patio project I built a landscape timber border around one of the gardens and that is where this unfortunate hyacinth happened to be. It will be fine. It should be fine. I hope it will be fine. The hyacinth seems to have managed to poke its head out just enough to grow. Needless to say it will need moved after it blooms and fades which may require some creative digging.
Maybe I should make formal lists of each garden where my plants are so I don't bury them underneath landscaping implements. They do seem to accumulate rapidly. A feat that my wife, no doubt, can attest to. Time to start making lists!