I think I finally figured out how to get this Epiphyllum to bloom. It spent all winter in front of a sunny window. It had buds before it was set outside.
I gave it a good dose of Bloom Food and some succulent fertilizer. Last, I trimmed off about two dozen cuttings to share.
Bingo. This plant has never bloomed this prolifically. It has stolen the show.
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These three hybrids are the best bloomers. Strong stems are a must. I missed staking the stems before a storm, so some ended up soaked on the ground. I will put circles in place earlier next spring to prevent this.
Karl Rosenfield has dozens of blooms on each plant. There are also multiple blooms per stem.
Sarah Bernhardt is slow to open. But the buds are gorgeous.
Duchess de Nemour has slightly asymmetrical blooms.
This last hot pink p double is from my great grandma Pearson’s farm in Ohio. It now belongs to four generations of my family.
I put some beside my mama’s pink urn at her memorial service this weekend. It felt right to have those flowers with Mama for her service.
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I was amazed when I discovered that the three-part pistils of the Passion Bloom lift up when it rains.
My hypothesis is to prevent self-fertilization from splashing pollen. No time to research that today, but I know one of you knows so leave a comment.
Absolutely LOVE this vine.
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It rained last night. I love mornings in the garden after it has been refreshed by rain. The plants look so appreciative and perky.
Here are a few photos of my favorites sprinkled with sparkling drops.
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These Foxglove /Digitalis blooms are magical. I admire the different configurations of spots on different plants.
These beauties are poisonous, so watch where you plant them. The blooms on each spire open starting from the bottom.
If you peek in a tube you will see an unusual arrangement of pollen designed to dust any bee that enters.
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I saw this type of Blue Crown Passion Vine in Volterra, Italy. It was growing on the railing around our hotel. That vine also had orange fruits in it. This is a relative of our native North Catolina Maypop vine.
This Blue Crown hybrid is almost ten years old. This particular plant came up from the roots of the mother vine which broke down the fence with its weight.
This second generation has sturdier support. I love looking off the deck and seeing dozens of these gorgeous blooms.
This is my absolute favorite flower in terms of structure. The colors are vivid and the pistil parts actually move up or down depending on conditions.
Every spring I sit above it in a chair and watch it pollinator visitors.
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I get haunted by things. Something about them says, ” Look closure. Understand me. I have a story to tell.” I cannot ignore the pull. It will not leave me alone until I figure out the mystery.
This pair of portraits won’t leave me alone. They were in a box in my parents’ basement. I had never seen them until recently. The frames were old and the glass cracked. I threw those away. The portraits said, “Save me!” How could I toss such treasure? I feel like they are in this house with me…waiting.
I know they are relatives of my great aunt Ethel’s second husband. Louis is written on the back in chalk. The sticker says Worley and Zimmerman Pigua, Ohio.
My research discovered the names David Louis and Regina Lebensburger Louis. I saw a grainy photo of David’s portrait on-line. These were the grandparents of Sam Louis, Ethel’s second husband. I am currently writing a book that includes Ethel Pearson Touchman Louis.
Grandparents David and Regina are upstairs keeping me company, until I get them home to their family. I sense a roadtrip to Ohio is in my future.
I feel they need to get somewhere else. They belong with their family. They got shuffled off to the wrong people in the hasty move after Aunt Ethel’s death.
No worries. They will be safe here. I must admit that I will miss them, but I will not miss being haunted.
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I time-traveled for several hours today. I swirled through years of memories of my family’s life, picking and clicking and dragging to get the slideshow photos ready for my mother’s memorial service next week. This overwhelmed me emotionally. I mostly cried about photos of Daddy even though he has been gone almost five years. That hole is still too big.
This is my third time being in charge of this part of a memorial. The clicking and dragging gets easier, but the picking throws me into a serious funk.
Losing someone I love is like losing a body part for me. My world must be rebalanced and recalibrated. Nothing highlights this loss of the missing piece like a slideshow of hundreds of photos of the dearly departed.
For all the folks attending a service, this is an important part of remembering the loved one. It is worth the trouble. I chose photos that had others we love with mama…Great times with family and friends.
I could have gone through more files, but stopped past the time I should have quit. My eyes could no longer focus. I could not think. I think my brain got confused about the present while traveling through all that frozen time. I had to click on now and drag my head to bed to reset myself.
I will pass this on to my sister to add to and tweak. I did go back through and remove some photos my mother would not have approved of. She is known for cutting herself out of photos using scissors. There were some times she did not want herself to be frozen in. We laugh when we find these clipped pictures.
Everything will be ready for the service… flowers, food, photos and music. We have helpers.
We will hold on to mama that one more afternoon. Then we must start letting her go from our presence. We cannot freeze. We must keep living.
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I have visited the iris this morning. The show will continue for several more weeks. I will not be here to stake and deadhead. They will survive.
When I return in May the double peonies will need staking. They cannot hold up their heavy heads in the rain. They will survive.
I will be helping plan my mother’s memorial service this week. It will be beautiful. My sister will make sure of that. We will survive.
No…better. We will thrive, because we have been loved and tended to by the best parents on the planet. Watch and see!
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floweralley 