11 March 2014

Thirty bulbs


 
There have been three batches of paperwhite bulbs this winterI rather greedily took whatever I could find during various visits to the weekly plant market, for a total of thirty bulbs. Only this past weekend has there been the perfect combination of blossoms, sun & time to create some "story strips" with various components. I had some fun dissecting the seedpods with my X-Acto knife, both lengthwise & crosswise (seen in the detail of the right-hand "page" of the story strips below), as well as the flowers, the buds that never did open, etc.







  

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I also thought I'd share some shots of the second "blooming" which, unlike the first one I shared on the blog, aligned itself with a period of sunshine. (I found the roots from the already-bloomed bulbs to be equally fascinating...)



 

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Other than the fragrance of a few last blooms, this is what remains...





...lots of long stems starting to flop over under their own weight (I was inspired to take this photo because of the way the stems mimicked the pens angling out of the jar)...



...& a random bulb whose initial sprouts never took off despite considerable coaxing (but which I have found to be quite lovely just sitting in the patinaed copper tray)...

 

 

Observing the paperwhites has certainly been a happy winter diversion during the past two months. On the note of such pleasures, I wanted to mention a book I have been rereading & thoroughly enjoying: The Passionate Observer. My dear friend Andrea gave me this book ten years ago, and it is among my favorites in terms of the high-quality production & content. The text is a collection of writings by nineteenth-century French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre, and is illustrated with watercolors by Marlene McLoughlin (who knows how to visually bring out the beauty of an insect as well as Monsieur Fabre does through his affectionate & attentive observations of the creatures).

 

 

Wishing you equally fulfilling & inspiring pastimes in your spare moments too...

6 comments:

  1. Oh what a dazzling post! I loved all of the meander I took, and the light on the flowers and your fabulous organised floral elements!

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    1. So glad you enjoyed your 'visit' here, Fiona! Thanks for stopping by... It's interesting to see how much the individual paperwhite blossoms have shrunk since I photographed them on Sunday - I think I could squeeze twice as many into the remaining spaces!
      - Lisa

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  2. dazzling indeed and so full of warmth!
    I will be loading up on paperwhite bulbs next winter
    oh how these fragrant blooms would go perfectly with today's 12" of new snow...

    thanks so much for the lovely sunshine,
    xox

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    1. Hello Elizabeth ~ 12 inches of fresh new snow?! My daughter would be envious (never having lived in a place with true snowfalls, she is always disappointed when we get to spring without any accumulation - which is usually the case in Florence!). New snow & paperwhites seem like they would go together beautifully - pure & fresh, delicate & sparkly...
      I'm glad you enjoyed the sunshine : )
      - Lisa

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  3. I really do like these posts.So like the early botanical illustrators' recordings of (then new) flora.And, of course, I'm a sucker for narcissi, especially paper whites and erlicheer jonquils.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! I do find much inspiration in botanical drawings - maybe something to try out one of these days. Nice to hear from others who can appreciate the paperwhites, too. Although I find it hard to understand, not everyone seems to enjoy their scent or the simplicity of those small blossoms as much as I do! A single bloom remains, but its scent has already faded. 'Til next January...(but sooner for you in Australia)...
      - Lisa

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