Aha! I knew they were somewhere back there in the woodpile, keeping cool through the winter: the daffodil bulbs and tulip bulbs I didn't get in the ground last fall. This ought to work: they have endured the cold a hardy bulb needs, and I see that most of them have produced a pale green shoot or two of what will become leaves when the sun hits them.
So they go into the ground now, in the company of tulips and daffodils who are considerably ahead of them in maturity. We shall see how this works: the main thing for these bulbs is temperature, and they'll give up if it gets too hot before they have a chance to set blooms.
But even if they do give up, it will only be for this year. They'll get another chance when the wind begins to nip in the fall, when the snow falls again, after they have slept in the cold earth for another season. Not all of us do things on schedule -- some of us have different drummers. There is seldom only one way to do things. When we miss the bus, there will be another bus -- it may take us somewhere unexpected along the way, but we can get to where we need to be if we try again and remain flexible.
The usual way of doing things is usual because it works well in most cases. It's usually easier. But it isn't for those who can't use it. And so there are other ways. In the end, the flowers are about the same.
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