Nature is Full of Surprises
Most of the time, after work, I like to sit and write. I like being out on the deck if it’s not bone numbingly cold. This first year here, I created what turned out to be a colorful flower bed/container garden on the deck. The honeysuckle has been in bloom since May, and I’ve been inhaling their sweet scent for my chosen high every time I come out. I’d also gotten a tiny little passionflower vine. It was practically dead, discounted at the local nursery. 3 months later, it’s standing at about 5 feet tall and has numerous artsy blooms. Have you ever seen a passion-flower bloom? It’s another one of Mother Nature’s mind-boggling beauty exhibitions — petals and colors burst out from the white center, encircled by a perfect lineup of black seedlings, looking almost like a clock sitting on top of a white star.
Then it’s hydrangeas that look like I’ve been pumping them up with special steroids. Ok, well, I have. It’s called coffee, and thankfully I don’t have that kind of reaction to my morning joe. It was less than 12" wide and had 3 blooms on it when I got it. Now it’s just these blue balls of wonder spreading over 3 feet! Who knew?
There are also wisteria vines. I love vines, and seems I might have a collection soon. Though with the wisteria, I know to be wary of the roots. They can go through pipes, walls, and foundations, so I have them in a container. And then, of course, the trellis wall I built one by one and just completed across the one side of the railing for all the vines to go crazy together and create some added privacy. I train them daily on the trellis so they aren’t strangling each other. The passionflower is especially keen on taking over the entire place.
Gardening is new for me. I’m learning what works and what doesn’t, watering them every morning and then sitting back and enjoying their company while writing, reading, or just watching the birds. I would never have guessed I’d be into this just a few short years ago. Now, it’s the best past-time I could have asked for.
The birds seem to declare their approval through their flight dances and graceful landings on the wisteria while waiting for their turn on the feeder.
