Surprise!
Life is a series of surprises and would not be worth taking or keeping if it were not.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
He (God) performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 5:9 NIV
Around two years ago, I planted some wildflower seeds that I had collected in 2023 and stratified overwinter. It’s often challenging trying to grow wildflowers from collected seed as the conditions have to be just right to get them to sprout, then grow. This particular year, I was careful to put them in the refrigerator to cool with just the right amount of moisture (or so I hoped). When I planted some of them in pots, I grouped them by species but did not put individual tags in each pot or mark the pots.
As I eagerly awaited signs of life as I carefully watered and monitored the sunshine that they were receiving, I thought about how maybe this would be the year that I would get the two varieties of wild columbine that I hoped for. The first, Western Columbine, is found in many shady damp places in the west. It’s vivid red colored flowers are a welcome sight on many of my favorite hiking trails. The other plant is the Sierra, or Colville, Columbine which is found in the high Sierra, generally from 8000-12000 foot elevation in rocky open slopes. It’s much less common and considered “vulnerable” in the conservation world. I’ve come across it only a handful of times due to high elevation narrow window of blooming. I’m absolutely charmed by its delicate beauty and perfect pastel colors ranging from cream to yellow to pink.
Anyway, back to the story. I waited more than a month and nothing was sprouting from any of the plant pots. In a fit of disappointment, I took all the pots and put them on the side of the house in an ignored area. Then I forgot about them for awhile. Weeks later, when walking near them, I glanced down and noticed a plant pot had a sprout, one that was clearly a columbine! Was it the common red flower or the breathtaking high Sierra columbine? Oh, my goodness…there was no tag or way to know! I would have to wait until it blossomed the next year! I couldn’t even plant it until I knew which one it was so that I planted in an appropriate place where it would thrive!
So, last year, I eagerly anticipated seeing what kind of columbine was growing in the plant pot; my mystery columbine, as I’ve called it. Well, it was to remain a mystery a while longer. While the plant was growing slowly and looking well, there were no blossoms! Really?! So, I lovingly took care of it and hoped for the following year. Here it is several years later in the spring of 2026. My mystery columbine has greeted this spring with enthusiastic growth and health…and a blossom is forming! Soon, the columbine’s identity will be revealed!
What a lovely surprise is ahead for me. I may have a cheerful bright red columbine or a delicate pastel colored high Sierra columbine. In a much more subtle way, it reminds me of waiting for baby as my husband and I always liked to be surprised with gender at the birth of our child. Just as one is thrilled with baby no matter what gender, so I will be pleased no matter which columbine species my mystery columbine turns out to be. The big reveal is soon, and I’m just pleased that I’ll finally get to have the mystery solved and give the columbine a new home in the yard.
Though not everyone would agree, I think that there are times when surprises can be so fun! Sometimes the not knowing can make the event that much more magical!