And then...when you least expect it...

Have you ever stopped and thought about the process that results in a flower bursting upon the scene?

Some start as bulbs, others as seeds, and some have pretty unusual circumstances in their journey to bloom. Some very pretty flowers grow up right through the smallest cracks in cement sidewalks and driveways. Wild flowers adorn highway edges, and dandelions win out every year despite the efforts of those who have deemed them as 'weeds'! They get to live on my lawn because I don't use pesticides and chemicals. I don't see them as evil weeds. I also have some clover and other tiny, little blue flowers that pop up at some point in the warm weather.

What prompted this discussion is probably the result of my plate-sized pink hibiscus shrub has finally burst into the flowers that are always very impressive. Many wonderful compliments applaud this bloom and I like to cut one off [at a time] and place it in a bowl in the living room. Awesome!!

On the flip side of this, I also have a small white flowering hibiscus shrub that did not do well this year. You can see in the photo that it is kind of naked and only a couple of its branches even sprouted leaves! [It is in the forefront of the young evergreen tree that boasts just one pinecone!!] I figure that either the winter 'salt ruck' had a negative effect on it because it is relatively close to the road. Or, the frequency of cars ' backing into it ' as they turned around in my driveway!!

In any case, even though I figured its days were numbered, I didn't cut it down because it didn't 'look good'. And then, one day, as I was walking to my garage, I noticed something different about it. There, at the top, in the middle, of the semi-dead shrub...was one white flower in full bloom. I couldn't believe it! I didn't notice a bud...heck...I wasn't expecting anything from this sad-looking perennial tree that I think most people would have buzzed when it was apparent that it was a mere shadow of its former self. And now it has two flowers. I wonder if it might make a comeback next year...given the chance. Time will tell.

I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

Or, all things in good time.