bloom
Two Sundays ago I chanced upon some potted hyacinth bulbs for sale and decided to buy one, figuring it would be a good opportunity for The Bun to learn about patience and plants and flowers. Like many kids his age, he often has problems waiting for something to happen - if it is going to happen, it'd better be RIGHT NOW OR ELSE.
After we brought it home I explained that he needed to help me water the plant every morning, so that it would grow and eventually bloom. The Bun loves playing with the spray bottle we have in the kitchen so he took to his new task enthusiastically.
Day three: buds emerging
As I expected, The Bun got bored after a few days and stopped bugging me about watering the plant or asking when the flowers would appear. I would still show the plant to him so that he could see how it was growing. He only got properly excited again when the flower stalk shot up (seemingly overnight) and the flower buds began to change colour.
Day nine: peep of purple
Maybe it's the heatwave that's currently sweeping across the island, but in a matter of hours after that second photo was taken the buds began to bloom. This morning the hyacinth was more or less in full bloom.
Day ten: full bloom
The Bun was very excited to see the flowers, and as we admired them together I did my spiel about patience and waiting and nature and growing and everything else in-between. Even if The Bun didn't absorb anything from this little project, at least the flowers are really pretty. They have a light fragrance that permeates our small kitchen, and it is always very satisfying to see something from nature grow and bloom. (It helps, for a black thumb like mine, that the bulb does all the work and as long as you don't forget to water it, there is very little you need to do to get results!)
In a matter of days our little hyacinth is going to start wilting, and eventually it will wither. Now that will be an interesting discussion to have with The Bun, whose every third word these days is 'why?'
After we brought it home I explained that he needed to help me water the plant every morning, so that it would grow and eventually bloom. The Bun loves playing with the spray bottle we have in the kitchen so he took to his new task enthusiastically.
Day three: buds emerging
As I expected, The Bun got bored after a few days and stopped bugging me about watering the plant or asking when the flowers would appear. I would still show the plant to him so that he could see how it was growing. He only got properly excited again when the flower stalk shot up (seemingly overnight) and the flower buds began to change colour.
Day nine: peep of purple
Maybe it's the heatwave that's currently sweeping across the island, but in a matter of hours after that second photo was taken the buds began to bloom. This morning the hyacinth was more or less in full bloom.
Day ten: full bloom
The Bun was very excited to see the flowers, and as we admired them together I did my spiel about patience and waiting and nature and growing and everything else in-between. Even if The Bun didn't absorb anything from this little project, at least the flowers are really pretty. They have a light fragrance that permeates our small kitchen, and it is always very satisfying to see something from nature grow and bloom. (It helps, for a black thumb like mine, that the bulb does all the work and as long as you don't forget to water it, there is very little you need to do to get results!)
In a matter of days our little hyacinth is going to start wilting, and eventually it will wither. Now that will be an interesting discussion to have with The Bun, whose every third word these days is 'why?'