Tulip Yang Merajuk...

Spring has always been the much awaited season after the cold, grey and barrenness of winter. It is my and everybody's favourite time of the year. Suddenly you start seeing bright, wonderful colours everywhere, beginning with the crocus, white, purple, lilac and yellow appearing in between the green grass on the fields. Then you see other spring flowers, daffodils, amaryllis, cherry blossom, hyacinth, tulips and many others. Every house in our neighbourhood would have something or some kind of these beautiful and colourful flowers, except us....

It was spring of 2009, DS and me technically had arrived here in December 2008 whereas DH arrived a few months earlier. Even though our landlord did plant a few plants like roses, lavender and a few others in our little garden, but it didn't have these wonderful spring flowers. Roses start to flower a little late in early summer and so does lavender I think. Seeing other houses looking so nice with the flowers, DH went out and bought some tulip bulbs. Now, I did not know much about tulips or how and when to plant them. But I was sure you did not plant the bulbs in spring !!! I told DH that, in fact I said maybe we should check on the internet first. But DH being a person who has his own mind to the extend that I sometimes call him very obstinate, decided to proceed. In fact he said "Well if I plant them now, they would flower in summer". So off they went... DH and DS both buzy pottering and burying those bulbs in the garden and the bit of land in front of the house. Once in a blue moon I would coax the bulbs by watering them, hoping against all odds that they would show their tiny buds soon, even though I did not really believe that they would. Summer came and went, still no signs of any lives and it didn't look like it's going to be any, snails in the garden were abundant and I'm sure the bulbs became their supply of food for the coming winter. November came, and for some reasons we did not plant any more bulbs. I have by now checked the best time to plant the bulbs :D Humphhhh.... talk about two ignorant people !!!

Then... it was spring again, I thought we would never see the day. It had been a cold winter, snow kept falling through out January and also February. Again... our house would be the only one without spring flowers. So imagine my surprise when one day, I found these little buds peeping from the soil from the little bit of land at the front house !!! My tulips !!! you came out after all !!! I couldn't believe it.... after one year the bulbs still sprouted leaves. Of course they were not many, only a handful of them, the rest had been eaten by snails I guessed :D

Taken on 17 March 2010

I wondered whether they would all flower. A Dutch neighbour told me that the male ones will not flower. So... tulips also have males and females ?? I didn't know that.... Maybe I should check on the internet...

Taken on 24 April

There were only 4/5 flowers, but it's enough to make me amazed.... I was sure they were "merajuk" and would not come out in the first place. I read somewhere that after flowering, the bulbs had to be taken out and kept in a dry place before being replanted in the next autumn. These bulbs of ours had gone through spring, summer and winter and only sprouting a year later !!!

Taken on 27 April. The white flowers had fully bloomed.

Moral of the story is always check beforehand :D and never ever give up....