Little cheers me up as much as a big bouquet of jonquils at the end of winter. With less than a month to go of the wretched season (which hasn’t even been all that bad) I’m starting to get that winter angst anxiety, in which I seek out hints of spring such as these bright blooms. They came from Ireland, and landed in a vat at the local Trader Joe’s. Too delicate to last much beyond a few days, those days are filled with light and the sweet scent of narcissus. It is just enough to keep the spirits going in this final stretch of our winter slumber.
For even more perfumed bang for your buck, seek out some hyacinths. I prefer the potted bulbs as opposed to the cut flowers, and if you’re patient and industrious enough they can be saved and planted outside for a repeat showing next spring. Their fragrance is the personification of early spring – all the hope of the world in a single sniff. I feel it… it’s coming.
