It Only Took Eight Years...

Eight years ago my neighbor Joyce kindly shared with me some babies from one of her mother’s cherished plants with the instructions to let them get pot bound and they would bloom. She didn’t know the plant’s name at the time, but I found out recently that it is a Walking Iris.

The plant itself looks something like a spider plant, but the babies grow from an elongated, thickened leaf, not from a stem. And…as you can see, I did indeed let it get pot bound. For eight long years I have faithfully brought it in every winter and put it back out on the patio every spring…and waited…

Then finally, just this week, my patience was rewarded at last! It finally bloomed! You can indeed see that it is related to the Iris.

Isn’t it beautiful? I quickly snapped some photos to memorialize the event…

…because this beautiful flower literally only lasts a few hours! By late afternoon, it was beginning to wither. I had to laugh, thinking of the movie Dennis the Menace and poor Mr. Wilson who had waited 40 years to see his rare orchid bloom. With Dennis around, you can already imagine the result! (It’s still one of my favorite movies, by the way!)

Another surprise on my patio…one of the three frogs who lived in my little water feature last year is back, which might not be so surprising…

…until you see how small it is! Miss Kitty finds it highly disturbing that critters are living in her personal drinking fountain!

Soon the water hyacinths will be blooming, too…another flower that only lasts a short time!

However, I can always count on the begonias in my shabby picnic basket planter to last all summer and into the fall! You can find out how to make a planter of your own here.

Another favorite of mine is also back …my little rustic  flower pot man…sporting golden creeping Jenny hair this year!

I am heartbroken to say, however, that the single digit temperatures this winter have almost entirely done in my favorite plants…my mom’s ginger lilies. My three beds of thriving plants have been reduced to five or six little sprouts. I am hopeful, however, that with lots of fertilizer and TLC I can still have some blooms this fall and see the hummingbird moths return to my garden.

And, of course, back again…the staff’s favorite…a big pot of catnip!

Although Naughty Neighbor (as pictured here last year) has now found a new, loving home, a few other kitties include our patio in their rounds, so the catnip remains caged to keep it safe and sound until the staff wants to play with it. It’s so nice to see signs of not only spring, but oncoming summer as well!
I hope you are having beautiful weather, too, and beginning to recover from that long winter we all suffered this year!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed seeing my spring patio progress! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants. 
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Inspire Me Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays , The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays ,  French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday 
See you next time! À la prochaine!

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