Spring is a time for scenic beauty as the flowers begin to bloom in profusion, shrubs and trees send out their blossoms and the world begins to green again. Chattanooga has called itself the "Scenic City." Yet as I have driven around town for the last month, I've been discouraged with the dearth of flowers I see in the front yards of so many homes.
In one sense, there are the occasional yards with crocuses (the first sign of spring), jonquils and, of course, the golden daffodils and the yellow forsythia bushes. Yet, how much more scenic would our city be if more people would plant some bulbs and tubers in the fall so they could bloom the following spring; and every spring for decades to come.
The narcissus family of flowers (including daffodils and jonquils) takes almost no care other than some fertilizer each year and mowing them down several weeks after they bloom, when the leaves begin to droop and lose their bright green color. The rest of the summer, they will lie underground and take no more effort, unless you wish to plant annuals in the bed for the summer and fall. Forsythia bushes provide a green shrub all summer long after the flowers drop off, but they do need to be trimmed back after they bloom.
I would encourage more families to take the time next fall to go to their favorite garden store and purchase some of these bulbs and tubers to plant. Then, next spring, they, their neighbors, and passers-by can enjoy the scenic beauty of spring. Please help us to enjoy the beauty of the earth with which God has so generously endowed us.
Roger A. Meyer, PhD