After termites ravaged the Little Bayou House, their voracious appetites turned to the fences and arbors. For the past two months, I cut back the roses, wisteria and jasmine that covered these areas and ripped out every fence post and arbor. It hurt so to cut back all of the antique roses knowing that the severe pruning may have just killed them altogether. Wisteria and jasmine are some of those things that you just about cannot kill but roses, on the other hand, take a bit of babying to make them do just so. These roses were ones that were passed down by family members and included a bush from each of my grandmothers' gardens. It was such a relief to see the new growth on the bushes and even a few buds.
The jasmine, too, is starting to bloom and this morning, my first sensation for the day was the sweet aroma wafting on the soft breeze. Oh, my! Memories of summer breezes, front porches and heavily scented nights came to mind. The jasmine, along with magnolias and gardenias, is a favorite garden staple here in the Deep South. It is sort of funny when you think about the Confederate Jasmine as being "southern" as it is actually not a native plant. It, like so many plants, is native to Asia and was transported here more than a hundred years ago. It obviously acclimated well and soon became "our" plant. The name has changed many times over the years depending on who you ask. The scientific name is Trachelospermum jasminoides but it also goes by Star Jasmine, Pinwheel Jasmine, Southern Jasmine and, of course, Confederate Jasmine.
While the Confederate Jasmine does extremely well and will cover a fence or support quickly, it has a slow start. After the first year, however, watch out! It will aggressively cover anything within its reach! It is with all of that abundant growth, though, that comes the heavenly scent! Oh, and just so you will know, this is not even a true jasmine!
As a rule, sunrises during the summer lack the brilliant colors of those during the winter months. Maybe the bare trees of the colder months allow me to view the horizon better or maybe there is something scientific that has to do with this. Since I am no meteorologist, I will just go with the idea that I am blessed when a striking sunrise greets me during the summertime. This morning, I awoke to just such sunrise. When I opened my eyes, the entire sky outside my window was painted vermilion! Oh, wow! This so took me by surprise that I could not move for a few moments. Then it struck me...Get out of bed and get to the pier!!
It was pitch black as I raced down the board path to the pier. I was hurrying so fast that old Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, could hardly keep up with me! The sky kept changing colors faster than a kaleidoscope turns! Pinks, reds, oranges...oh, my! I stood on the end of the pier in a trance! The color show mesmerized me! A cool breeze brought me to my senses. A north breeze...a cool, north breeze was hitting my face. I actually shivered a bit. Here it is in the middle of July and I was thinking it was chilly? Strange. Beautiful sunrise, north wind, chilly....strange.
Then a thought..does this mean we are going to have an early fall? I am in hopes that this might be an omen of what is to come. A bit of cooler weather would be a welcome change. (Although, I must say that this summer has not been too terrible.) Within a few minutes, the gorgeous light show was over and my thoughts turned to the tall grass that was once known as my lawn. I trudged back up the hill to pull out that lawnmower and start the task that would occupy me for the next five hours. At least I would be cutting in the cool breeze!
