Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2019/Poetry Sunday: When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go by Matsuo Basho

When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go 

by Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)


When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there's nothing to write about
but radishes.

~~~

My winter chrysanthemums have gone and I have no radishes. But there are a few other things I can write about.

The Meyer lemons, for example. They are ripe and ready to be picked, along with the last of the Mandarin oranges.  


The bounteous flowers of the loquat tree are mostly spent now, but they promise a plentiful crop of the delicious fruits next year.

We had a couple of nights of freezing temperatures in November and I would have thought that would be the end of my cape honeysuckle for the year, but it surprised me by surviving that and continuing to bloom.

Likewise, I thought the jatropha would be gone but it, too, has thrived and continues to bloom.

The flowers of the blue plumbago are sparser now but some are still there.

And the purple oxalis loves the cooler weather of fall and winter.

The loropetalum, first cousin to witch hazel, has been in full bloom for a while and its blooms are beginning to fade.

Several of the plants that I bought for winter blooms are resting at the moment but the pansies are still going strong.

 And, in the pot by the front entry, so are the cyclamen.

The pink Knockout rose is beginning to offer up some winter blossoms.

And the Carolina jessamine that will be in its glory in late January and February gives us just a taste of what is to come with a few flowers.

I have not bought any holiday bloomers this year except for some waxed amaryllis bulbs. Have you tried them? Allegedly, they are completely carefree because the waxed bulbs contain all the nourishment and fluid that the bulb needs to bloom. Well, so far mine are a disappointment, but perhaps they will still perform for me in the new year.

I hope everything in your garden is performing well, even if that only means it is resting for winter. Happy gardening and happy holidays to you. May your next year be your best one yet!

Thank you, Carol of May Dreams Gardens, for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. 


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