A new year of Bloom Days

January Bloom Day is also my birthday, which some how made it rather special both as bloom day and as birth day. I felt like the plants were blooming for me.

Just two plants with actual blossoms-- the coleus actually bloomed about 6 days ago and is starting to fade. The papyrus is also "blooming" if you can call it that. Mostly it's about my solstice plantings. The tradition is described here by my gardening friend Sue.

My plantings were two amaryllis, because I had them and, working with Sue's instructions:

Columbine, for Maggie and Parsley for my mother The first set of seeds are seeds of remembrance and should be seeds of flowers that remind us of someone we knew and loved but who is now gone from our lives forever. This is the only one that hasn't sprouted yet.

Lobelia The second set of seeds are seeds of life and should be for plants that will make fruit or nectar and invite birds and butterflies to our gardens. These have microscopic sprouts as of yesterday.

Mountain Ash cuttings The third set of seeds should be tree seeds. We can honor Mother Nature by growing trees that will help clean the air we breathe, reduce excess sun on the soil, and provide shade for our heads on a hot summer’s day. The mountain ash are budding, which I did not expect, and I hope mean that there are roots.

Mustard The fourth set of seeds are seeds of faith and should be for plants from a zone that is beyond ours in warmth. It will help us to remember that we accept the “Leap of Faith” in our hearts and know that Mother Nature is capable of miracles.

So Happy Bloom Day in the deep midwinter.