Saturday, May 08, 2010

Mystery Bulb Revealed

A room without books is like a body without a soul. ~ Marcus T. Cicero

Woke up this morning to thunder and rain... and had to go out into it to put the bird feeders out. Whee. Took the dog, who was none to happy, but she needed to go out, too, and misery loves company, right?

In any case, I'm sort of glad it's raining. I worked outside a bit yesterday and moved several plants, plus I was really brutal to some of my creeping phlox that had grass growing into it and ripped a LOT right out by its roots to get the grass and then just sort of plopped it back on top of the dirt (phlox is pretty tough) and it all needed a good watering in.

I also dug up and threw out a TON of dragon's blood seedum, which broke my heart a bit, but I can't find anyone to take it (my neighbors run screaming when they see me now: "No... no more plants!") and it was hearty, healthy and .... growing into the lawn.

In other news, I got the bright idea of taking a picture of the mystery bulb on my phone and showing it to garden lady at Agway (where I bought the bulb last year). I told her what I knew: it was nearly 2' tall and deer resistant. She grabbed her fall bulb catalogue and .... drum roll please....

I know what it is: MEDITERRANEAN BELLS

Here are some pictures of what it will look like when it's blooming.



I also discovered that another name for the plant is "Sicilian Garlic" and that it can smell like its namesake when it's warm (mine's right by a front window ... I may end up craving Italian food regularly) and that it propagates via the bulb AND via reseeding. Things might get a little crazy...

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I've been rereading several of my "keeper" books lately, trying to pinpoint exactly what it is about them that makes them a keeper. They're different authors, vastly different genres (I have YA, straight fantasy, paranormal/vampire, historical, straight suspense, contemporary romance and more) and have little in common except that they're books I love to revisit.

I think it's mostly that I really liked the characters, but there's more. And it's still tantalizingly out of the reach of my brain. I'm going to keep on keeping on, though, and try to figure it out.

What makes a book a keeper for you?

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You Are a Cool Person



You are calm and collected. You don't make much of a fuss - in fact, no one can tell when you're excited.

You are not very emotive and expressive. You tend to temper any feelings with logic and rationality.

You are steady and consistent. You are a person of your word, and you like to keep to a schedule.

Your energy tends to be at the same level throughout the day. You know how to pace yourself.



Pretty much correct, except the energy part.

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5 comments:

Sarita Leone said...

What a gorgeous flower! I'm so glad you found out what it is. I would love to have some of them in our yard so I'm making a little note to remind myself to plant some around bulb planting time. It's so pretty, and I love it that it'll remind you of pizza!

A keeper book for me means solid writing and unforgettable characters.

Happy Saturday!

MomJane said...

Wow it is going to be beautiful. I want a picture of yours when it blooms.

Dru said...

A keeper book to me is when you connect with the characters and hate to see them go and you often return to them for a visit until their next adventure.

Glad that you now know what the bulb is. It's pretty.

Have a good Saturday.

Tori Lennox said...

The space alien plant *g* has really cool flowers!

Brandy said...

I'm glad you finally have identified your mystery bulb! Can't wait to see what yours looks like when it blooms. *G*
A keeper book to me has everything. Characters I enjoy, a good plot and a HEA. (Life's rough enough as it is, I have to have a HEA SOMEWHERE.) Above all, a keeper book just has that magic that makes you want to pick it up again. And again. *g*

I hope you have a terrific weekend!