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Dorothy
Brush
"Random Thoughts"
Published March 31, 2004 |
See you next year, March
Farewell March! I always feel better once that long month
of uncertain weather is gone. After we moved to the Plateau,
I learned too late that March was not to be trusted. The saucer
magnolia and Bradford pear tree had already been planted before
I learned that lesson. Year after year they would both be filled
with buds about to burst when a late quick frost would scorch
them. It took 16 years before they both escaped that fate and
finally put on a glorious show of blooms for the first time.
Again this year the magnolia branches were heavy with buds
about to open. Each warm day I watched, thinking this would be
the day they unfolded. The wait seemed endless, but after more
than a week of watching the opening came and it was a grand sight.
Daily I took pictures. Even a hard shower didn't dampen the glory.
Then the evening weather forecast on March 21 warned of frost
and next morning the magnolia blossoms were all brown from the
brief freeze.
For well over a month the entire bird population has carried
a welcome to spring in their songs. Through snow flurries and
bitter cold temperatures they sang a different song filled with
the promise of what was to come. For the third year a pair of
red polls began building their nest in the ivy just outside our
front door. Is this the same pair or did they mark their offspring
in some mysterious way so they knew where to return for nesting?
Is it my faulty memory or is the lovely native serviceberry
tree late in blooming this year? Usually its white blossoms can
be seen scattered through the leafless woods very early. This
year the Bradford pears are all in full bloom but the serviceberry
is yet to make her debut.
My memory was stirred when I read that March 25 marked the opening
of a garden across the ocean. In the Netherlands the Dutch created
one of the most beautiful spring gardens anywhere -- Keukenhof.
It all began in the mind of the mayor of Lisse. He shared his
idea with 10 other bulb growers and they were enthusiastic about
an annual permanent open air exhibition.
Nearby was the enormous 15th century estate which had been
ruled by Countess of Holland Jacoba van Beiren from 1401 to 1426.
Part of the land had been used to grow herbs and vegetables which
she personally gathered for her kitchen. Literally translated,
Keukenhof means "kitchen garden." In 1840 the estate
had been developed into a park, and in 1949 Keukenhof Gardens
opened. That first year 236,000 visitors were welcomed.
The numbers soared to over 900,000 visitors enjoying the sight
of tens of thousands of tulips painting the landscape with a
rainbow of color. Other varieties of spring flowers are also
planted across the 70 acres. I will always remember the day in
1973 I spent surrounded by so much beauty. It is as overwhelming
all these years later as it was on that day.
Farewell March! I will overlook your not-to-be trusted nature
on the Plateau since you smile on those gardens in Holland.
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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville
Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.
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