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| 무궁화 Mugunghwa OAFS Photo¹ |
Do you see the gray, withered branches behind the flower? That is the ancestor (I presume) of that flower and the other buds upon the green leaves nearby. It may be the very plant itself, coming back from death.
The Missus Herself, earlier this year when I expressed concern as to why the plant wasn't leafing up like it had so many past years, assured me that it wasn't dead. Merely dormant. Or perhaps regenerating itself from deep within its root system.
What I know about plants would fit on the head of a pin, and leave plenty of room for dancing angels. Ah, but my wife, she of the green thumb, pooh-poohed my worries and told me to be patient.
Patience, as those who know me can attest, is not one of my strong suits. Oh well, the seeming demise of one of my favorite plants didn't stay foremost in my thoughts, only when I ventured into the backyard did I see those dried up branches and sigh for what once was.
Our next door neighbor has at least three of them, two with white blossoms, one with purple. So I did at least get to see them blossom in late July into August, which is when they're at their peak. Hers have all shed their flowers, ours is just beginning.
In Korea these flowers are known as the eternal blossom that never fades. I can see why.
That which I thought gone, was actually just waiting to come back.
There's a lesson there I think.
I will take it for what it is, a thing of beauty which graces my humble existence, and be thankful for it.
A fitting thought for a Sunday.
¹ The white flower with the red center is the 무궁화 (mugunghwa) or Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus), the national flower of the Republic of Korea. Yes, there are marigolds as well, and very lovely they are.
¹ The white flower with the red center is the 무궁화 (mugunghwa) or Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus), the national flower of the Republic of Korea. Yes, there are marigolds as well, and very lovely they are.
A plant can be resilient, looks like that one likes life. Rose of Sharon.....that was the name of the nursing home my Mom was sent to for rehab after surgery.
ReplyDeleteThat plant seems very resilient.
DeleteSarge, Nature often has lessons for us if we will only hear them (says the guy who is both completely impatient and only plant knowledge is apparently how to kill them as quickly as possible....).
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thought for a Sunday.
Many people will hear, but few will listen.
DeleteWell done! Kudos to The Missus!
ReplyDeleteMuch like THBB above, I don't dare touch plant life, else it dies.
That having been said, I do appreciate those who have the green thumb. Mrs. J, thankfully, is among them.
juvat
She has the knack.
DeleteAbout ten ago during a wet year, there was the strange appearance of a few ferns on my vacant farm. In my memory, none had grown in the grove before. They only grew in one little spot amid the rotting remains of two large redwood house moving timbers that my dad bought and had shipped in from western WA state in the early 1950s. I wonder if they came with the timbers and had waited all this time for just the right conditions.
ReplyDeleteQuite possible, Nature will surprise you.
DeleteI'm more familiar with watching nature recover after wildfires.
ReplyDeleteTwo years after the Tubbs Fire it was hard to tell there had been a major fire in most areas.
The burn area of the Glass fire, for some reason is different. On the mountain on the east side of Calistoga Road in Santa Rosa CA there are fairly large swatches of conifers, mostly lining Ducker Creek (very seasonal) that 3 years later are showing no signs of recovering. I think that the 3 years of severe drought between the two fires stressed them beyond recovery, as well as really intensifying the heat of the fire.
Another amazing example is the recovery of vegetation after the Mt. St. Helens eruption.
Nature has been at this for a very long time.
DeleteOn a daily basis, plants of all stripe just need a good and kindly talking to. Talkers will also greatly benefit. Unscientifically proven by a long ago New Yorker cartoon!
ReplyDeleteHeh, nice.
Delete