Lilac Beauties

I have yet to find out the name of these flowers. It is as if we share a bond but have not been acquainted yet. Lilac Beauties i call them for now. They have been quite generous to me. Every morning they show up but towards dusk they fall off. So ephemeral. So fleeting their presence is. I am reminded to savor each moment.

We find ourselves at the tail end of the year once again. Time to take inventory of what worked, what did not work, and how we can be better without stressing ourselves out too much. Life gives us gifts. It is a matter of recognizing them for what they are.

Hibiscus

Showy, showy Hibiscus. On a leisurely walk with my son, he chided me for stopping to take a photo of this flower some four houses away from where we live. He thought someone might mistake us for robbers. I couldn't resist. It seemed to call out my name, grabbing my attention. I have long wanted to get myself a pot or two of this. So low maintenance and yet so generous with its flowers.

Not only will i have something to feast my eyes on, I will also have my cups of Hibiscus tea. I will also have pretty colorful garnish for my salads. And if i am feeling extra generous, i will allow students from the school nearby get some of its flowers for their Botany classes.

Kalachuchi (Plumeria, Frangipani)

Bulaklak ng patay or 'flowers of the dead' is also what these fragrant flowers are called in this part of the world. Though used in the Hawaiian islands as leis to welcome guests, folks here usually associate them with the dead. Nowadays they are popular effects to adorn spa bowls that greet weary guests.

With this i wish all our dear departed loved ones rest for their weary souls.

Ni Hao

I just adore this can. I keep it even though its contents had long been digested. Truth to tell, i bought this for the container and not for the assortment of biscuits. Yes, i am attached to it. How can i not be? It has lovely carnations on it among colorful birds painted on a gorgeous red background.  What a splash! 

When drudgery bites, birds and flowers are two of nature's reminders to me of things sublime.

Papaya!

Instead of the more commonly known flora, i decided to feature other flowers usually not noticed.  One example is the papaya flower. Yes, the flower and not the fruit. I myself have dismissed these blossoms, appreciated them only because it heralded the sought after dessert fruit which i love.

The flowers according to botanists have sexes. The male, the female, and a third sex (so inclusive, this plant) -- hermaphrodites. Interesting. If your papaya tree has male flowers it will not get pregnant (not produce fruit) as they say. Female flowers on the other hand, when not pollinated, will just drop off from the tree. It is the hermaphrodites that give you fruit. 

A closer inspection makes me appreciate not only the fruit but also its unassuming flowers. One day, i will try to eat them as well. Should this surprise you? In Indochinese kitchens, the buds of the papaya are blanched in hot water to remove its bitter taste and then stir-fried with eggplant and some condiments. Imagine your dinner table laden with a papaya dish, papaya salad, and chilled ripe papaya to cap off that meal. Papaya!

Peanut Plant

A distant cousin of the edible peanut, this ornamental gives credit more to the shape of its flowers for its name. This plant is popular as groundcover in urban landscaping. They spread fast and dot the landscape with lovely yellow sparks -- like concealer makeup for the ground's face. This makes one's walks along pathways a more pleasant one.

It is low maintenance and hardy in the face of drought. Hmmm, how wonderful that they can exude such attractiveness with so little care. They are consistent, too. I have yet to come across such plants bearing other colors. They seem to have laid claim to yellow forever.

Lavender Grace for the Morning

One of the perks of living in the suburbs is the peace and quiet of an early morning walk. We live very close to a park which is hardly ever manicured. The grass grows in wild abandon --- all the easier for my dog's droppings to be out of sight.  

Noticed that the flowers in the park (that of the grass, too) were all in the lavender palette. I connected to that -- it tells me my day will be one of harmony.

“When hope is fleeting, stop for a moment and visualize, in a sky of silver, the crescent of a lavender moon. Imagine it -- delicate, slim, precise, like a paper-thin slice from a cabochon jewel.
It may not be very useful, but it is beautiful.
And sometimes it is enough.”  

― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration