Every year my mother carves narcissus bulbs for Chinese New Year. She started with a class at the Honolulu Academy of Arts [ http://www.honoluluacademy.org] under a master who taught her the finer art of carving the bulbs in the crab claw style, causing the shoots to later emerge curled under like the claws of a crab. The bulbs take careful tending: lots of sunlight every day along with a daily change of fresh water.
There was a period when my dad was alive that the bulbs took over her whole patio, and dear dad took extra care in helping her change the water in plethora of containers that covered the tables. She was always on the search for more containers for her narcissus as well as river rocks to keep them stable, and at one time had squirreled stacks of tofu tubs for her pet project.
Here is the narcissus she gave to me this year. At 84 years old, she didn’t have the time and energy to crab the bulbs, still the bulbs bloomed beautifully. She said this plant was her best this year. I wish you could smell the blossoms. The delicate fragrance drifts softly through the room, just like a refined Chinese woman. Unfortunately, narcissus only last for not much more than a week.
Thanks, Mom!
Read more about narcissus in this recent Shanghai Daily article where you can also see an example of the crab claw narcissus:
Narcissus, fragrant flower of winter
[http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200901/20090117/article_388287.htm]
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