Nature's Progression

Nature’s Progression

We are greeted by the most amazing azalea bushes in our front yard! Big puffs of pink remind us of the beauty of Spring. I stop before getting into my car to gently touch the buds and thank the bushes for their greeting.

But the warmer weather is not just about the brilliance of a flowering bush. Before the flowers burst open and awe us, there is the hint of what is coming. Buds slowly appear on bare stalks, anticipating what is waiting to expand into fullness. Then they unfold, expressing their rapturous enthusiasm for being in the world. The energy of the flowers in full bloom interacts with our energy as we appreciate Nature’s offerings. And after the flowers have spent their allotted time with us, they fade and lose their colorful petals, the bush, now green, reminding us that it is still with us and now mature.

It is Nature’s reminder, I think, of the wholeness of being. Not unlike our human progression from conception through infancy, adulthood and our last years here. Our energy remains even when our petals fade. Nature is always offering us a broader picture of life.

Azalea Beauty

Azalea Beauty

I love the azalea bushes in front of our house. Each morning they greet me with a wild, pink beauty that starts my day off with a gasp of pleasure. Within a week of hinting at flowers, the buds have expressed their full-blossomed glorious nature. There are so many flowers now, the branches keep bending with the weight.

Azaleas are early-flowering plants, which makes them welcome after a season laden with cold, wind, now-and-then snow, and a bunch of rain. They are part of the rhododendron family. Rhododendron bushes are also full of exuberance and color. 

Sometimes we all need a burst of liveliness. Like plants, life has its seasons of quiet and renewal intermingled with growth and high spirits. Summer is coming and many more colorful plants will be available for our viewing pleasure but I know I will always have a fond spot for the reminder of life’s seasons from beautiful azaleas.

Caring for azaleas:

http://www.almanac.com/plant/rhododendrons

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/azalea/azaleas-noteworthy-shrubs-for-any-garden.htm

Exuberant Azaleas!

Exuberant Azaleas!

Last year the azaleas in front of our house bloomed in nice, neat, round bushes, as they have for years. They gave the entrance a pleasing and colorful approach. Most of the other azalea bushes in the neighborhood behaved in a similar way. They were polite. Refined. At the end of the season, I pruned the bushes to remove some dead branches, being careful about pruning off the buds that are laid down after the plants bloom. I expected another year of dignified flowering.

This year they flowered, right on schedule, sending out their customary peachy blossoms. Only something changed. The bushes became exuberant! They shot out beyond their customary shape and reached for the sun. There is no restraint here. I had never seen anything like it.

Each time I think I should do something about the wildness, I end up smiling instead. When I come home, I have to stop for a minute to enjoy the fullness of the bushes and the in-your-face burst of flowers before going inside. My friend, coming to visit, stood dumbfounded when she saw the azaleas.  “They don’t usually grow like that,” she said. Certainly not in suburban gardens. Then she said something about them fitting in with my energy.

That got me thinking. There are thousands of varieties of azaleas, with different colors, heights, petals, and growing patterns - in their own particular way. There are billions of people expressing themselves in their own particular ways. And why not? There is energy in diversity.  If we can tolerate, even desire, variety in Mother Nature then why not in human nature, too?  There may be surprises, sometimes problems, but most often there is dynamic growth.

A helpful guide to growing azaleas:

http://www.gardenersnet.com/tree/azalea.htm

For FAQ and in-depth answers, try the Azalea Society of America’s website:

http://azaleas.org/newsite/faq.php#poi