246. The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~Jean Giraudoux

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I am a symbol of love and immortality.
I have been around since the time of Confucius.
My name came from a Persian word.
At one time I was more expensive than precious metals.
I can be used in the place of an onion in cooking.
I am in the same family as a lily.

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Do you know who I am?  I am a native of Central Asia, and I am the world’s most planted flower.  When I arrived from Turkey in the mid-16th century, I was a gift from the Ottoman Empire that took Western Europe by storm.  But I did not come to the United States until the 1800’s.  There are about 3,000 varieties of me grown around the world, some that originated in the seventeenth century.  My petals come in every shade of the rainbow as well as black, but my most popular color is red.  And I can be forced into blooming after I have been stored in a refrigerator for 12-16 weeks.

A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone.
It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose.
It doesn’t have to.
It is different.
And there’s room in the garden for every flower.
~Marianne Williamson

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I’ve never had much luck with growing tulips in the ground.  So this year I decided to try forcing them in containers.  Two weeks ago after the bulbs had spent the required amount of time in my refrigerator, I planted some in soil and some in glass containers partially filled with pebbles and water.  As of today I’m proud to report that I have tulips sprouting in both types of containers.  Though it be only the 12th of January, springtime has sprung at least in my greenhouse.  One of the most seductive things in life I know is the thrill of the first spark of life in a garden.  Every time I experience it I feel as if a time machine has transported me back to Eden on the third day when creation was “born of the Spirit in the womb of the universe.”  On that day the first seeds were planted in the earth and their roots reached down for the waters that would sustain them.  Then and now such as this is clearly a manifestation of the goodness of God.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  ~Psalm 27:13  ✝

20 thoughts on “246. The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~Jean Giraudoux”

  1. Pingback: 246. The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~Jean Giraudoux | Sacred Touches

  4. Bravo—I love tulips, but I have never had much success–not much success with bulbs in general—I fear I may not be patient enough with the whole chilling, waiting and planting. My area of success, albeit a bit limited, is more in the vegetable garden. . .
    But I do love tulips—probably my most favorite flower.
    Thank you for the inspiration!! Hugs to you—julie

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    • You might try on a small scale. Last year I bought some of those hyacinths in the forcing glasses at the grocery store and loved the process so much I decided to give this a try. I actually have two more in bloom in my kitchen right now, but starting from scratch all by my little self has been more exciting.
      🙂

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  8. Sweet, love tulips but don’t have much luck with them here on the mountain for some reason. I can grow all other kind of bulbs. Maybe I should try containers too! Be sure to post pictures of their progress and the flowers! 😀

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