bulbs and inner power
Amaryllis blooms
It’s autumn and the garden is changing. I am growing lots of bulbs - and not just garlic and onions! For years I have grown ginger, turmeric, garlic, onion, dahlias and irises. But last year I purchased The Bulb Book1 and I became interested in flowers grown from bulbs (botanically called geophytes). Since reading that book, I have grown hyacinth, gladiolus, ranunculi and ixias. When you buy bulbs or get them from a fellow gardener in their dormant stage, they don’t look like much. I, myself was sceptical when I got started, but bulbs hold within them the secret promise of vibrant life.
Bulbs stay dormant, in the ground or in a storage packet, awaiting the right conditions. Then one day, they wake up from being scraggly and dry, and over the growing season, they grow into serious plants with pops of colour and fragrance.
This autumn, bulbs have me contemplating the meaning of patience and hidden potential, being a metaphor for our own journeys of growth through life. We, like bulbs, spend much of our lives hidden away in dormancy. We face periods of darkness, uncertainty, and perhaps even a feeling of being buried and unseen. Yet within us lies tremendous potential waiting to be unearthed, if only we had the right conditions.
Just as bulbs need specific conditions to thrive – the right temperatures in the soil, sufficient sunlight, water, and nutrients – we too require certain elements to blossom. Perhaps it is taking time for self-care, surrounding ourselves with supportive people, eating a healthy diet or simply taking that first step towards our goals.
The act of planting a bulb (or a seed) is an act of faith. We trust that with a little care and the right environment, something remarkable will emerge. This faith is mirrored in our own lives. When we nurture our potential, even when it feels unseen, we create the space for beautiful things to bloom, and boy oh boy are the blooms mesmerising!
The beauty of bulbs is that they're not fleeting. After their gorgeous display, they retreat underground, storing energy for the next season. You can dig them up, dry them out and store them carefully in a cool dry place for the next season, or simply leave them in the ground.
So, here’s a little encouragement from me, an imperfect gardener: the next time you see a vibrant bloom unfolding, remember the hidden potential within yourself. Embrace the quiet periods of dormancy, nurture your dreams, and trust that with time and care, your own light will surely shine.
Keep an eye out for some pretty winter flowers grown from bulbs on my Instagram page- click here. I am featuring this week’s amaryllis blooms – you’ll enjoy it!
1The Bulb Book - A South African Gardeners Guide by Charles Barnhoorn [Sunbird Publishers, South Africa; ISBN: 9781920289768]