Planting Jonquils like Tasha Tudor

Tasha Tudor was on my mind as I planted a mere fifty jonquil bulbs in the “island” between the house and the cottage. I used my little trowel and hacked away at the hard earth trying not to disturb the oak roots. 

I thought about the time I planted bulbs with Abe at our Oak Park house. I was pregnant with Penelope and used the planting as a way to explain that his sister would be born when the bulbs emerged as flowers in the Spring. Abe remembers planting them, but he doesn’t remember my confusing analogy. I think I was just so expectant – as a mother and as a gardener – full of life and joy. 

This time, I expect that some of my bulbs will get moved by the squirrels. It will be a delight to see where they turn up, and I did plant them, like Tasha, in clumps. 

Perhaps one day, I will be even more like Tasha Tudor in the number planted. She planted 2,000 jonquil bulbs each year in her Vermont woodland!

Here are her words about jonquils/daffodils from the book “The Private World of Tasha Tudor” by Tasha Tudor and Richard Brown.

“Daffodils are an optimistic flower, and foolproof. You know what Shakespeare said, `Daffodils, / That come before the swallow dares and take / The winds of March with beauty.’  They say you should throw the bulbs on the ground and then plant them where they fall. But I’ve never done that, and I never use a bulb planter. Those are the most ridiculous things! They sell them to ladies in garden catalogues and you’re supposed to dig one little hole at a time. I plant them in big clumps with a trusty shovel. I make several large holes all around and put quite a few in. That’s why it makes such a spectacular look when they bloom.”

Fall is a good time to plant our hopes for Spring. It’s comforting to know they are out there in the cold earth. Soon, they will be buried under snow, where they will sleep for months until they are ready to be seen. I look forward to seeing them, and when I do, I will remember planting them today. Bulbs are like that – they are wormholes connecting past and future – potential with realization. 

Happy planting! Happy Fall!