That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden [jonquils]; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. — William Wordsworth |
Last summer, we bought a five-acre lot on a lake in Madison County, Mississippi, and are planning to build a house on it. At the time we bought the lot, it looked like this ...
During the late fall and winter, we were busy with other things, and didn't make too many trips to the land. So, you can imagine my surprise last weekend when we drove up and saw this ...
Those are yellow Jonquils, and there are thousands of them covering our lot. Literally, everywhere I looked and everywhere I stepped, there were little clumps of flowers and bulbs poking through the leaves ...
I even saw a clump of Narcissus and, needless to say, I was thrilled!
Years ago, the land where our lot is located was part of Cameron Plantation, one of the largest plantations around, so I can't help but think that there may have been a home site there back in those days.
I plan to check the Madison County chancery clerk's records to trace the land ownership back to the days of the plantation in hopes of learning about its history. My imagination runs away with me, conjuring up visions of a Scarlett O'Hara strolling in her gardens gathering Jonquils for an early Spring bouquet.
And even though our house is not going to look like Tara, I know we are going to spend many happy years in it ... and I will always wonder about the house that may have been there before, and the people who lived in it.
And every Spring, I will smile and silently thank the southern lady or gentleman who planted those first Jonquil bulbs so long ago.
10 comments:
My first thought when you said jonquils was, I bet it was a home site. Oh, how wonderful to have jonquils. They are one of my favorite flowers.
XO,
Sheila :-)
Your photos certainly warm my heart, this morning. When I see flowers blooming along foundations I wonder what the house was like and the stories that happened there.
No green peeking through this morning.
Thanks so much for thinking of us, Janie. We are under a blizzard warning until tomorrow. We are about 40 or so miles northwest of the St Louis County line. South of St Louis is getting more ice. It is snowing this morning with sleet mixed in. Anticipated over a foot of snow for us, added to the snow that was still on the ground. Our ice is not as thick as south of us, so we are hopeful there will be no power outage here. We are prepared, in any event. Plain old snow is a lot easier to deal with than ice or ice and snow mix.
What a wonderful surprise to find you have jonquils...can't wait to see what you may find in other seasons. I'm looking forward to the "rest of the story!"
you warmed up my day...Texas has been hit by this winter storm also..it is so cold....
Finding those little gold nuggets on my screen this icy morning is a LOVELY bit of Lagniappe--one that will last me all the day.
There's just SOMETHING about an old Home Place---an air or an aura or even just a little bit of FOUND stuff now and then. We built our first house way out in the back of the "Place," and I could trace a little brick pathway, mossy and as sunken as a Vicksburg tablet. It was about six bricks wide, and we took that to be the front entrance, for on out, where the back would have opened out toward the woods, we found bits of china, little shards of bright pottery and tiny old bottles and jars and even one whole little Blue Willow- type saucer.
I was sure that one was evidence of a little girl's mudpies, back in the days so long ago, and of her dainty setting of her own table.
And the place was covered in jonquils---scattered and there-to-find in Spring. We planted lots of our own, and the original plants slowly crept into our side yard, mingling and making themselves right at home---which it WAS, long before us.
I hope you'll do your surveying and laying-out of the house in Spring, so as to leave as many of those little yellow hopefuls as possible. Their carpet of welcome is as elegant as any plush.
Morning girl...ohhhhh what a beautiful spot for a southern home...oh gosh it just makes my heart swell looking at it...I could imagine how you felt when you drove up and saw such a glorious site....I am so happy for you girl...great post...have a great week...Picket
What a nice "Lagnaippe" for you that day... finding those happy yellow flowers....
And what a beautiful place for a home.... if you feel like it, please do share with us if you find out anything interesting when you check those records... you've stirred up my curiosity... (that happens a lot on Southern Lagnaippe) hehe
Thanks as always for sharing with us,
Jenni
I think that's a wonderful! How excited you must have been! And, you might not know anything about the people who lived there long ago...but you do know they appreciated the beauty of these and maybe, hopefully, other glorious flowers. I think that says alot about a person, don't you? Some folks don't take the time to see the beauty around them, and that is sad. But, isn't it lovely when they choose to plant flowers so as to increase the colors and scents?
I love jonquils....mine are popping up too!
You have such a lovely spot to build a new home and I'm sure there was an old home place there at one time. When we bought our land and built we had Jonquils every where it seems back in the days of the Wesson Mills near 100 yrs ago, there was an old home place here that burned down and the woods claimed it's own back until we cleared it and built.
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