Daffodils need the SUN but we need the SON
It is a beautiful spring morning in our little corner of the world. Sweet Husband just walked inside after getting the newspaper and said, “Yesterday’s rain certainly perked up the flowers.”
I do not have a green thumb and have never had success with tulips or daffodils that most people grow in our part of the country, easily. When he said that, my heart leaped with joy. Maybe this spring the Millers will have pops of color in their yard.
Let me share why, what comes easily for many people, is a reason to celebrate for this Hoosier. When we moved to our home almost thirty years ago, I planted daffodils around every tree in our back yard with a vision of happy yellow buds popping up all over in the spring. All winter long, I looked out my kitchen window at our shaded back yard, with many trees, and thought about how exciting it was going to be to see the flowers in the spring. I could not wait.
March came and I began walking outside to look for any sign of green popping up from the ground. March came and went with no sign of life.
Always the optimist, I thought, perhaps they will pop out in April. April came and went and still no sign of life. I could not believe I planted at least a hundred bulbs around our many backyard trees and not one of them popped up through the Indiana ground that spring. I was disappointed to say the least.
This morning, as I looked at the green coming through the ground in the front of our house, I could not believe my eyes! These daffodils, along with tulips, we planted last fall were growing. For a non-gardener like me that was a sight to behold.
I was puzzled. Why did these bulbs survive the winter and burst into the light when the ones I planted out back under our beautiful trees, did not grow?
As I often do when looking for answers, I picked up my phone and typed in that question. An article on southernliving.com popped up titled, ‘Why Daffodils Do Not Grow.’ The number one reason, in big bold black letters screamed—
INSUFFICIENT SUN
“If planted in the dark recesses of your garden, your daffodils will grow weaker each season until they no longer have the stored energy to develop a flowerbud.”
That stopped me in my tracks, standing in the middle of my kitchen. I had just been on social media reading many opinions about what is happening in our country today. Talk about dark recesses---whew! It is easy to get trapped in them if you pay attention to what you read and see around you today.
There was only one thing different about our daffodil experience this year as opposed to the one many years ago.
>The bulbs were planted in the fall.
>They went through ice, snow and cold during the winter.
>We did nothing to take care of them during the time they were underground.
>We waited for them to grow.
The difference--
>The ones planted years ago in the shade had insufficient access to the sun.
>The ones planted in the fall of what was, undeniably, one of the hardest years our country and many of us have experienced survived the winter and are growing. Why? They had sufficient access to the sun.
The daffodils growing in my yard reminded me of an important truth this morning and the parallels stunned me.
>Daffodils get their energy from the SUN to grow and thrive. We, too, need enough access to the SON to grow and thrive.
>Daffodils will not develop flowerbuds and will wither without enough SUN. We, too, will wither without the SON.
The Bible tells us in John 15:5 that Jesus was talking to his disciples and said:
“I am the vine: you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.
It has been a cold, hard winter but spring is coming. If we make sure we have sufficient access to the SON, each day, we will grow, thrive and become beautiful just like those little daffodils. How inspiring. I will never look at daffodils the same way again.
Happy Spring!