Creating Land Traditions

Creating new traditions with your land is delightful way to celebrate your time together. For years I’ve wanted to start a tradition of planting daffodils every fall. This year we finally got that rolling with an enormous box of bulbs that arrived on the doorstep scented daffodils, crocuses and siberian squill…

There was a photo online somewhere of an older farm with hills virtually carpeted in daffodils. The story was the couple who lived there, long since passed away, had a tradition of planting them every year. The ones they had already planted of course multiplied. This web photo isn’t the one I mentioned but you get the idea.

It was so lovely to think of creating beauty on the land that keeps getting more and more lovely long after we’re gone. It reinforced a guiding philosophy in my gardening: planting things that would long outlive me and continue to enrich the land and its occupants be they human, wildlife, butterfly or bees or hopefully, all of the above.

Most people might call that landscaping but its all gardening to me. (Larrapin gardening to be specific!) I’ve said many times in this blog — the idea of creating delicious and long-lived landscapes is what leads me on when I’m dreaming of what to plant next.

The daffodils and crocus are mostly for people (people who may be desperate for signs of spring in that drawn out late winter phase of the year.)  Though I have seen bumblebees curled up sleeping in spring daffodil blossoms in the early morning and that is a sight I won’t forget!

The Siberian Squill I’ve wanted to plant ever since I heard that you can see the bright blue pollen being taken back to the honeybee hives (to feed baby bees) in early spring… SOLD! You had me at honeybee…

(see more pics of the blooms and bees with blue pollen here: https://goo.gl/PilDsh )

So this past fall (and on into the freakishly warm December) we’ve been planting daffodils in big bunches. In particular, choosing spots that can be seen from certain windows like the one over the kitchen sink. It doesn’t look like anything right now, but I can see future sweeps of yellow, while, purple and blue blooms in my mind’s eye!

In upcoming posts I’ll talk more about using your window views as you decide where plantings should go as well as other land traditions (like bloom walks and wassailing your orchard) that might inspire you. Do you have a land tradition at your place yet?

with love,
Leigh

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