Pineapple Tulip

When you plant a garden, you’re usually thinking of this season’s flowers or this autumn’s vegetables. But sometimes what we plant lives beyond that; even beyond the gardener. Our house was built in 1998, along with most of the homes in our neighborhood. But the neighbors west of our little subdivision were here decades before that. One of them planted tulips in her front garden, years before she passed away. Her widower joined her some time ago. The house stands empty, waiting for the bulldozer to make room for a new mortuary. But this spring the bulbs she planted put on a brave display among the thick weeds and fallen cottonwood branches. It’s possible that next year the only flowers there will be funeral sprays. But if they’re not dug up or paved over, those tulips will continue to bloom where they were planted.