There is an addiction – bordering on an obsession – that involves scrolling through our cell phones as one outrageous vignette after the next appears on the screen. The surprises are endlessly astonishing and activate certain neurotransmitters or chemical messengers in our brains, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, that give us pleasure.

Witnessing flowers as they open on shoots that emerge from bulbs can create a similar response. Even though you may know what the flowers are supposed to look like, there is always an aspect of surprise when they finally appear, often several months after planting. And the flowers often look different from how they appeared in a catalogue or online.

Just in time for bulb-planting season, “The Essential Guide to Bulbs” (Timber Press, 2025), by Jenny Ros

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