Survival. No, not the tv show. The determination of the young buds on my overgrown Rose of Sharon. Mother Nature has been shaking her finger at it for the last month threatening to halt the brilliant showcase of flowers but Sharon is one tough cookie. For those of you who are not familiar with this showstopper its a perennial flowering shrub. In my case its become a large tree due to my avoidance of cutting it back every year. Come around the beginning of July it bursts forth with hundreds of hot pink colored flowers.
But what a year its tolerated! The winter brought ice storms like we've never seen before and trees were dropping like flies. Sharon's branches were so heavy with snow and ice they were laying on the ground. I was sure the entire tree would permanently sit at an angle or worse yet, limbs would snap off and I'd lose her forever. She stayed bent to one side until the warmth of May suddenly revitalized her. She stood back up only to defiantly yell -TAKE THAT!
Summer rolled in with a vengeance. Its typical for me to turn off the heat in the house and switch to air conditioning the next day. There's no middle ground. The days immediately became unbearable with the heat and humidity, so with watering can in tow I'm serving up ice cold drinks to the thirsty flowers. I have good intentions to work in the garden but 15 minutes later I'm dashing for cool relief in the house. And there sits Sharon looking at me from the corner of the yard. The watering can won't do - she wants me to empty the local water tower and serve it up with a straw. I'll never understand how she plugs along day after day, month after month surviving the elements -the cold, rain, heat, and the dreaded pests that decide to move their extended family in to set up house on her smooth leaves.
Here we are in July and Sharon once again is in all her glory. She's an attention seeker, drawing the eye away from all else and yelling LOOK AT ME! I'm the fairest of them all! I have to visit up close every day, feel the petals of her flowers and wonder how this vibrant color explodes out of the brown rocky dirt every year. Its nothing short of a miracle to me how strong and determined she is. Her performance is scheduled for July of every summer and she's never missed a show. You're the queen Sharon -go to the head of the garden.
But what a year its tolerated! The winter brought ice storms like we've never seen before and trees were dropping like flies. Sharon's branches were so heavy with snow and ice they were laying on the ground. I was sure the entire tree would permanently sit at an angle or worse yet, limbs would snap off and I'd lose her forever. She stayed bent to one side until the warmth of May suddenly revitalized her. She stood back up only to defiantly yell -TAKE THAT!
Summer rolled in with a vengeance. Its typical for me to turn off the heat in the house and switch to air conditioning the next day. There's no middle ground. The days immediately became unbearable with the heat and humidity, so with watering can in tow I'm serving up ice cold drinks to the thirsty flowers. I have good intentions to work in the garden but 15 minutes later I'm dashing for cool relief in the house. And there sits Sharon looking at me from the corner of the yard. The watering can won't do - she wants me to empty the local water tower and serve it up with a straw. I'll never understand how she plugs along day after day, month after month surviving the elements -the cold, rain, heat, and the dreaded pests that decide to move their extended family in to set up house on her smooth leaves.
