They Called Me the Hyacinth Girl

"They called me the Hyacinth Girl" is a line from a poem by

T S Eliot, The Burial of the Dead, from The Waste Land. 1922. 

Hyacinths are finally starting to bloom. Just these few that are open perfume the

greenhouse when the doors are closed overnight.

Some were planted in soil, some are in water and stones.

My early opinion is that soil is the better choice.

another line in T S Eliot's poem,

"we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour."

reminded me that I set up a coffee/hot beverage bar on the end of the kitchen counter under windows where hyacinths are in pinch-waist vases of water. Only one has ventured blossoms so far.

We are drinking an unusual amount of hot beverages these days because we, like

"Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,
Had a bad cold, nevertheless.... " Despite my cold, I can smell the sweet fragrance. I expect they will all be in bloom for Valentine's Day. 

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in chilly Southwest Georgia.