Interesting note about the photo; I had to gently twist the stem in order to get that stamen/anther shadow to sit in the perfect spot on the flower petal. Did you notice? Do you think about those sort of things when setting up capturing your shots? Maybe I'm just weird.. Don't answer that!!! lol
They say.. or something to that affect. It was Monday morning and I was up before the sun. It was a day I had off, but I just couldn't sleep in. I tried but my mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts. I hate when that happens. It's hard to stop falling down the 'Rabbit Hole' of thinking once it begins.. or at least that seems to be the case for me. After arriving to the kitchen, I started the coffee and peered out the window above the sink. I saw some early morning color starting to paint the sky a dim shade of yellow.
The camera on my phone paints the picture to be a little brighter than it actually was, but you get the idea. I had my coffee in hand as I was making my way around the outskirts of our home. I like to take a little time to stroll around looking at the plants and figuring out what I would like to do once we have more money to accomplish it.
The plants were waking up too. Some of them were dripping from the dew that had built up over the course of the night. They seemed happy to have any bit of moisture they could get their hands on (whoops I mean leaves on), given how extremely dry it has been in the past few weeks. The birds were beginning to chirp as the other night life was heading back to the dark patches of foliage that skirt the outer most parts of the yard. The early morning light wasn't that strong yet but with every tick of the clock, that was changing.
This photo and the banner photo at the very top, were both taken at my parents house in Southern Delaware. (Did you see the little bee critter on the edge of the petal? it also appears in the first photo, but closer to the center.) My wife and I received transplants from them a few years ago. These herbaceous perennials are easily grown by just dividing them as they slowly spread in the areas in which they grow. We planted ours in an area on the west facing side of our home. They liked it there. That was until recently when I had to uproot them and move them.
My wife and I had saved a bit of money over the years, in hopes of putting in a concrete patio and walkway. This past spring, that vision became a reality. We were, and still are, very excited and happy with our decision. Obviously researching and then hiring a good contractor makes all the difference. In anticipation of heavy digging with large equipment, I began digging up and moving some of our plants. The Mallow was on the list to be moved, so it could be saved.
Soon after the work was done I began the fun time of moving a bunch of dirt back into the beds. I designed the walk way to wrap out into the yard, around the house and back towards the front driveway/garage. This design creates a large bed by the back corner of our home. I'm not sure what I am going to plant there yet, but I'm working on it.
There's a lot of space in this area, so I have some thinking to do. For now, I planted our Mallow close to the back of the house, near the grill area. Planting them here will allow us to enjoy them until I come up with a solid design for the bed. They may not be staying permanently, but they are (Somewhat) happy for now.
Noticeable above, they are not 100 percent recovered from the transplant. These Mallow grow to approximately 6 or 8 feet tall. Ours usually reach the 7 foot mark, but not this year. When you chop 70% of the roots off, you're bound to stunt the growth of the plants. This should correct itself as the plants grow more roots and thus become less stressed.
The stunted, almost dwarfed look, is very noticeable in this one particular plant below. I most likely did not dig up enough of the roots when digging it out of the ground.
The roots are fat and tuber like, spreading out further than I had imagined they had. I did not anticipate such a large mass of roots so far from the base of the plant, and should have moved the shovel a little further away from the base. Oh Well! It survived. lol.
A few blooms did make an appearance this season, and we are expecting more next year. Their blooming season is just about over. We may get a few more through September, but as the nights get cooler the blooming will become less and less.
If they do bloom again, I will be sure to share photos.
Speaking of another cute, pretty thing.. Molly will be up soon. I should wrap this up before she wakes up.
“He told her the story of the missionary's bride who wrote home describing her bungalow in an African forest clearing. "Outside my window as I write is a magnificent hibiscus with hundreds of blooms making a splendid splash of color against the jungle." A year later, she wrote again, and she said outside her window was that "damned hibiscus, still blooming.”
― William C. Heine, The Last Canadian
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