it’s sometimes hard to remember in the misery of november (or even december!) when i’m wrist deep in soggy dirt planting bulbs for spring just how worth the discomfort is. yesterday i finally removed the last of a few remaining petals from these dreamy tulips that graced my tiny garden this year. i was amazed at how long they lasted – i credit it to the cool weather of our never ending spring – which seemed to start in november and is only now beginning to fade to summer. as i’ve mentioned before, our townhouses sit on the landscaped roof of a low-rise building in downtown vancouver. after taking the elevator up, visitors walk out into the park like setting, complete with magnolia trees, hedges, rosebushes, lawn, children’s playhouse and walkways , with our townhouses surrounding it. this year i have begun working on this garden, which is still rather ‘builder issue,’ and part of my plan is to include some drifts of tulips and other bulbs. so in the sunless, rainy cold afternoons of november when i am planting spring bulbs for 2011, my hands red and chapped and the rain streaming down my face – i will think of a few of this year’s successes – and have hot tea waiting inside.
