This simple crocus has always felt rather magical in the way that it just sort of pops up without advance notice and blooms, often earlier than I’m able to get out into the yard for spring cleaning. This year I almost missed it, but Andy took to opening the pool in record time when we had pair of days above freezing, and I ventured out to find it in full flower, bravely sending up its floral signal even before its foliage fully unstrapped itself.
Out of a hundred corms that I planted one fine fall, this lone crocus is the only one that survived the hungry greed of rodents in the area, somehow managing to escape their voracious hoarding habits. They often get the last laugh, as some years we’ll find the blooms felled by their nibbling before I even get a chance to grab a pic. If they weren’t so cute we’d probably shoot them.
This particular crocus is in a more hospitable section of the yard, as it has managed to come up earlier than our Lenten rose, which is usually one of the first to bloom. This year it is well behind, thanks to all the snow and cold we’ve had. I haven’t even gotten around to begin the yard clean-up which will help to show it off better, and with rain forecast for the foreseeable future, that may take a while.
For once, I’m in no rush. Things will get done as they get done, and if they don’t the garden will still find its way.
