Magical Mornings

  There is magic to be found in just about everything.  Life in itself is magical.  It is my thought that magic is anything that is unexplained or unexpected.  I have learned a long time ago that you cannot go about life fretting what others think as it is up to you to make life magical.  I live that way now.  Each day proves that my idea is correct.

  At daybreak this morning, I ventured out into the gardens.  The air smelled fresh due to the recent rains and the ground was still wet enough to muffle any footsteps.  The pair of cardinals were patiently waiting for breakfast and the frogs were still in the midst of their serenading of the night before.  It seemed to be a perfect morning and that all was right with the world...at least, it is all right in my little paradise.  Just outside the garden gate, the Althea bush had lovely blooms that were opening with the rising sun.  Their bright lavender petals and burgundy centers were absolutely breathtaking.  These blooms have always been special as the bush has "family ties".  It started as a cutting from my grandparent's place.  I eased my way to inspect the blooms and, to my surprise, found a dragonfly wing inside of one blossom.  Well, that was strange!  Of course, there was probably an ordinary explanation but finding the wing placed so perfectly inside the petal made it magical to me.

  Had Aunt Helen been on this stroll with me, she and I would have immediately proclaimed that a faerie had gotten new wings and left the old one as proof of her existence.  Maybe?  When Aunt Helen was alive, she and I could let our imaginations run amok.  Fantastical tales could be woven on a mere find as the one this morning.  

  Folks, sometimes it is important to let go of the worries of the world and find your own magic. It is out there.  Look for it.  Perhaps the "magic" was not in finding a dragonfly wing nor the lovely Althea bloom.  Perhaps it was in being free enough in my own mind to view it as such.  Finding beauty in mundane things is a gift.  Finding magic in everything is, too.

Queen of the Small Gardens

  I have crowned myself as "Queen of the Small Gardens" being as that is the entirety of my realm for the next week or so.  No hikes.  No pier.  No heavy work.  Boring.  While some would be happy campers with this new arrangement, I am not.  It is not my nature to sit on my duff.  I need to be doing...doing anything...just doing.   This newfound laziness is rubbing me against the grain and, though I am the queen of this realm, I wish to escape.  That, my friends, is in the plans!  Escape!  Oh, the things I could do!

  Actually, I cannot complain about being confined to the small garden spaces as this is one of my favorite places.  I am adjusting to the change and am finding that I have overlooked so many things here.  My appreciation for even the tiniest changes is overwhelming.  To think that just a week ago, I had free run of the Bayou and all of its wonders and, now, I am discovering new wonders that are practically underfoot. Perhaps a wakeup call is needed to literally show us how to appreciate what we are given.  All is good.

  This morning, I found that the phlox were blooming and the althea bush was rewarding my "devining" efforts with an explosion of flowers.  To be honest, the phlox plant is one that my sweet granddaughter bought for her uncle.  Son has no idea of planting nor caring for flowers so the plant was placed in my care.  He was, however, elated to see the blooms and we had a long chat about Sweet Mary Ruth and her choice of gifts.  Both of us decided that they were the best gifts one could receive.  The althea bush was from a cutting from my grandparents' home so it holds memories as well. These two discoveries were the highlight of my morning.  Yeah, not much in comparison to some folks' day but highly exciting for the Queen of the Small Gardens.  I can be satisfied with what I find and elated just to be seeing a new day.  Life is good.  

Taking The Time

  I have not posted in a few days so please forgive me if you were a daily reader.  Things sort of got in the way.  Hopefully, there will be no lingering effects and I can be back for good.  There was also a lack of photographs during this lapse so we shall start anew on that, as well.  My hikes around the hillside and to the pier have been nixed and I am now confined to the small garden area unless I am "escorted" by Mark or Son.  This does put a damper on things as "sneaking" up on the critters to get the "perfect shot" is no longer an option.  My photography has now turned to basically "still lifes".   The flowers of the garden will have to suffice.

  This morning as I was sitting on my new "throne", also known as the front steps, the poor little potted Althea bush almost cried out to me to help it escape the strangling arms of the Jasmine vines.  In the few days that I have been absent from the garden, the Jasmine has decided to branch out in wild abandon.  That abandonment included the poor Althea.  The small shrub was loaded with fine, purple blooms but had the choking vines wrapped about it in a tangled mess.  

  I promised the little shrub that I would try to convince Son to either move it or at least give the Jasmine a good trimming....probably both.  There is so much that needs to be done but no energy to do much.  Time...yep, time...things take time.

Probably Not The Best Idea

  I found long ago that bumblebees and other flower bees sleep deep inside of flowers at night.  Here, they are snug little bugs!  In the morning, they have a ready source of pollen for breakfast before they go about their daily business.  Most flowers, such as lilies, squash blossoms and trumpet vine blooms are sturdy and provide shelter against rains and the chill of night. However!  Sometimes, the choice of bloom can be a mistake.

  Last night we had torrential rains.  Everything became soaked.  This morning's hike proved to be rather soggy with the leaves and blooms still dripping water.  One small bumblebee was quite soaked.  It had made the mistake of choosing the bloom of the Althea bush as its nighttime quarters.  Normally, while this would not have been the best choice, it definitely would not have been the worst.  The blooms of this shrub are "one time only" blooms.  They open during the day and then close...for good...at dusk.   If a bee climbed inside the bloom, the soft folds of petals would gently caress it like soft blankets as it closed for the night.  In the morning, the bee could still wiggle its way out of the petals.  With the rains, however, the petals would almost "glue" themselves together making a tightly enclosed "cocoon" around the bee.  Obviously, our little bee had sense enough to climb out of its bed and "ride out the storm" on the outer edge of the shriveled bloom.  Poor, little bee was covered with water droplets but was still clinging to its bloom!

  It seems that this summer has had two things going for it.  It has been hot!  We have had near record temperatures.  It has also been wet.  Rainstorms pop up almost every evening. as of late.  These storms have a lot of wind, lightning and thunder.  The little bee endured quite the ordeal last night so I am in hopes that it finds a safer place for tonight's slumber.  Perhaps it should try the new hotel called "Madonna Lily" down the garden a ways.  I hear tell that its "open all night" and is touted to have strong petals.  Sweet dreams, Little Bee!

Not A Daisy

  A few years back, it dawned on me that one of my shrubs had a quite beautiful name.  It is a common hibiscus but goes by two different familiar names...Rose of Sharon and Althea.  At that time, I decided to combine all of the names and call my pretty plant "Althea Rose Sharon Bush".  I also decided that she would be a true Southern Belle that resided in the garden.  It just made sense to me at the time.  The name stuck and now I introduce the lovely lady to visitors to the gardens that surround the Little Bayou House.

  The conversation usually goes a lot like this.  Visitor...What is that beautiful purple bloom?"  Me.."I would like to introduce you to my friend!  This is Althea Rose Sharon Bush and she lives beneath the old oak tree in the garden.".  To which the visitor inexplicably gets a rather bemused look on the face and mutters something that sounds a lot like..."She is a daisy."  I am aghast!  Althea Rose Sharon is not daisy.  She is lovely and a favorite of mine.  Whereas, the visitor starts to explain that they did not think my bush was a daisy but that I am a bit crazy for naming plants.  Well, could be but Althea is not a daisy.  Thus ends the conversation about Althea Rose Sharon as, by this time, the visitor has usually spied the peach tree that is weighted down with fruit or the huge tomato plants that are just starting to ripen their tomatoes.  I hurry along behind still trying to defend the dignity of the Lady Althea.

  Actually, the Rose of Sharon is an old southern favorite.  The bushes are easy to grow, do not require much care and bloom with wild abandon.  Mine is the most common...purple but they come in a wide range of colors from deep maroon to white and everything in between.  The bushes are easy to start from cuttings and seeds so there is no need to have just one.  This is one of the cases where more is better!  Althea Rose Sharon Bush will always have a home in my gardens.

The Triplets!

  Back last spring, I wrote about the Althea bush that grows in the yard. This bush is from a cutting that Granddad rooted for me some thirty years ago.  At one time, it was in its glory!  The thing had grown to a fine size and never disappointed in providing many blooms. Then came Hurricane Katrina and my bush was smashed, doused, drowned and shredded.  I was heartbroken but determined to salvage what I could. The pitiful stick of a bush struggled along for a while but is starting (after all these years) to show some promise.  In my earlier writings, I mentioned that the Althea bush also goes by the name of Rose of Sharon.  That said, I decided to name my bush "Althea Rose Sharon Bush".  This is such a fine name for this true Southern Belle.  I had also made the statement that I was going to try to propagate new little bushes from this one.  Well, one thing after another got in the way of that idea until finally this spring.  About a month ago, I took three cuttings from the little bush and stuck them in a jelly glass.  For the longest time, nothing happened but then today, I noticed little white nubbies!  Small roots were starting to sprout from the stems!

An earlier photo of "Althea Rose Sharon Bush"!

  All three stalks are trying to root.  Within a week or so, I will plant my new bushes in pots and place them in the greenhouse.  There they shall sit until next spring.  This will give them plenty of time to set a good root stock before I transplant them into the yard.  Granddad would be proud that his time and effort were not wasted.  I am proud that I have been able to be a good guardian of the plant.  Althea Rose Sharon, I am sure, is proud to be the mother of triplets!

Introducing Althea Rose Sharon Bush!

  I get amused at the names given to plants.  If you will remember, I have touched on this subject several times before but today, I found another plant whose name tickled me.  Althea Bush!  Now, to me this sounds more like I have a fine lady visiting the gardens rather than me visiting a shrub in the garden.  The Althea Bush had a single bloom on it before the rains set in this morning.  That bloom has now been beaten to shreds by the torrential downpour but it was gorgeous before all of its trauma.  The bloom got me thinking about the name of the plant.  Althea Bush is a pretty name suitable for the finest of ladies.  As matter of fact, I know several ladies with the last name of Bush and they are all perfectly genteel, Southern belles.  This plant is no different. It is a true Southern Belle as well since it loves hot weather.  What struck me as being a bit humorous is the fact that not only can this be a quite respectful name for a human, the other name for the plant is just as proper.  Rose of Sharon.  Think about it. My shrub's full name can be Althea Rose Sharon Bush!  

  The Althea or Rose of Sharon belongs to the hibiscus family.  It, like all hibiscus plants, tends to love hot, humid weather which makes it perfect to grow here on the Bayou.  We have a never ending supply of that humidity!  It is also rather cold hardy as well.  Whereas the ice storms this past winter, wreaked havoc on most of my hibiscus bushes, the Althea Bush was not harmed.  This seems a tad strange since I had moved the hibiscus bushes into the shed and quite literally forgot about the poor Althea.  The hibiscus bushes froze...the Althea did not!  The shrub is easy to grow and to propagate by cuttings or seeds.  Notice that I feel it necessary to capitalize the name!  I am beginning to feel if my shrub has a true persona here! She (with the name of Althea Rose Sharon, the shrub is definitely a female) is fast becoming part of the family!  Once you name something there is no denying the kinship.  My next project is to propagate hundreds of Altheas and name them all!  I could start a trend here!