Poinsettia
January is a time of no blossoms in our garden. The late dahlias and rhododendrons are gone. The camellias that bloom in time for my late February birthday are in tight bud. Everything is closed down for winter – not a bright spot to be seen. We are in between the time of flowers. I think of it as ’Tween Time.
Our house, though, not so much. We have three spots of color indoors, all of which go a long way to cheer me up on these cold and gray, drizzly days. I find it interesting that each of these ‘bouquets’ has a different history and I am enjoying them all for very different reasons.
The poinsettia, now in our east room, came into the house first – about two weeks before Christmas. It is still bright and perky which is a bit of a wonderment to me. I’m good at killing off poinsettias, but I was careful to keep the soil damp and protect this one from drafts. (Marcia at Artistic Bouquets once told me that poinsettias are sensitive that way.) So far, so good, and I get that warm holiday glow every time I see her flaming red bracts. I hope she lives long and prospers.
Roses
Then there is my favorite – the arrangement I now call “Miss Havisham’s Bouquet.” It was the most gorgeous flower arrangement I had ever seen when Bradley brought it over to the house on December 21st — a mass of unbelievably beautiful roses. “For your party,” he said. Like all of the loveliest things of this world, it has not lost its beauty; it has only changed. It never occurred to me that I would keep it as a dried arrangement. But there it sits – on our kitchen table. It carries with it a feeling of nostalgia as well as one of the warmth of enduring friendship. I hope it lasts for many days yet.
Camellias
Finally, there are the camellias from the big bush beside our east porch – the ones that are still in tight bud out there. I picked some of them just after Christmas thinking that their glossy green leaves would give some cheer to our otherwise drab dining room table. I was hopeful that by keeping them well watered, they would bloom for us. And so they have! Their delicate pink blossoms are a promise of what is to come.
All-in-all, ’tween times aren’t so bad. At least not for the nonce…
For the beauty of the earth and all that springs up from her crust! Loved looking at the blossoms, remembering that those on the poinsettia are not the gorgeous red bracts, the the tiny buds at the tips…and, allowing the roses to dry! And the camellias which my own hands have nipped from the bush. Thank you for the reminder of all that blossoms.
Like the way you cope with the season. Best I have done is get the gutters cleaned.
There is a nutty old saying that goes “Throw the flowers from a friend out whilst they are still beautiful so you don’t remember them as they wilted”. Ah, Sydney, you cheated fate yet again!
Love the saying, Greg. But who could ever imagine Bradley wilted? lol