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Bulbs of Afghanistan

© Barbara M. Martin

Dear reader, please note: Thank you for visiting my Cottage Garden topic and reading my columns, published here from February 1997 through spring 2003! I regret I am no longer actively editing or contributing to this suite101.com topic as of mid-2003. Happy Gardening! This Cottage Garden column was written by Barbara M. Martin and is Copyrighted including the photo by Barbara M. Martin. It may not be altered or copied or published elsewhere in whole or in part without specific permission from the author.

I have never been to Afghanistan. Yet I have seen and held a little bit of Afghanistan right in the palm of my hand, rubbed it gently. And so most likely have you, if you have ever planted spring bulbs or arranged their blooms in a vase. You have probably even tasted a little bit of Afghanistan, if you have ever consumed a dish accented with garlic.

Could any of these bulbs be native to Afghanistan?

Our lives are enriched by crocus and tulips, such marvelous botanical treasures just growing up wild there in Afghanistan. For centuries, gardeners have planted and nurtured these living mementos. How eagerly we cultivate them in our little patches of earth all the way around the globe. Such spring delight is universal soul food.

And beyond the beauty of spring bulbs, we have accepted and could barely maintain our culinary traditions without the onions and their kin, garlic included. These too came to us long ago from Afghanistan.

Knowing all that, you might enjoy this very short story by Farzad Bahari. It is set in Kabul some years ago. An Old Garden. Do you recognize it?

Frankly, I was not familiar with the magazine Lemar Aftaab, but I was charmed to discover these pages dating back to 1997. You might also enjoy the brief Journey to Herat, with its gardens and vineyards and of course, the Pai Hesar or Qala-ie Bakhtiyaroodin, the castle built for Alexander the Great.

But this is not about Alexander the Great, it is about bulbs of Afghanistan, plants we know and grow. Let's start with one most people will recognize from the photo if not from the name: Crocus. These tiny bulbs are the cliched harbinger of spring, but by golly come spring there is no cliche about it. We love our crocus!

Crocus actually have a very wide range, and some varieties bloom in the fall - as identified here in Fall Blooming Bulbs.

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