The garden catalogs are tumbling into the mailbox. I leafed
through a spring bulb catalog, and was
immediately caught by delicious possibilities. I lingered
over Amaryllis belladonna (Naked
Ladies)a bulb whose spring leaves die back and then blooms
unexpectedly in August. I already have
Amaryllis belladonna, and have even divided them to scatter them
around other flowerbeds. I don't
need to buy any more. Exactly what am I yearning for?
For those of us with chipmunks who eat oriental and Asiatic
lily bulbs, Naked Ladies are a good
substitute. My friend Anne, in Maryland, says Naked Ladies
are a weed for her, springing up helter
skelter in her lawn.
Perhaps what I am yearning for is that A. belladonna would
perform as beautifully as its photos. They
are short bloomers, and in August, they have often gone by
before I've even noticed them. Am I
thinking that if I only had more, then I would have more
blooms, more pleasure, that I would notice
them more?
Life is brief. Everything we cherish perishes. Sometimes,
much too soon.
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