The Nature of Things

The 'Climax' blueberry is blooming, so spring must be near. Last year this blueberry shrub was full of blooms and then full of blueberries. But just after the blueberries had begun to grow, we had a big hail storm that knocked every single one of those berries off. I'm hoping for better luck this year. Azaleas, of course, are a major sign of spring in these parts. Houston has its "Azalea Trail" each spring when local gardeners open their gardens to the public to show off their azaleas. This old Kurume azalea was in the yard when we bought the house twenty-eight years ago. It starts blooming at the bottom of the plant and over a period of several days the blooms open all the way to the top of the plant. In a few more days, the entire shrub will be covered in these wonderful flowers.   Cyclamen are usually purchased for winter color and disposed of once the season is over, but this cyclamen has been living happily alongside this peace lily ( Spathiphyllum ) since t...

The blueberry blossoms may not be completely open yet, but they offer the promise that spring is finally on its way. It has been a long, relatively cold winter, even here near the semi-tropical southern coast of America, and we are more than ready to welcome spring. We take our hope where we can find it - even in the promise of a half-opened blossom.