For as long as I can remember Mr. T has talked about wanting a “butterfly bush”. Specifically one with yellow blossoms. I mentioned this to my mother who told me he must be talking about a “Cassia” bush, one that grows quite well in warmer climates and that I remember seeing in Florida. Their beautiful yellow blooms cried fall and brightened any corner of a garden. Just the right size to accent other plants and flowers.
Two years ago, mom gave us a small bush she picked up at her local nursery in North Central Florida. It had no blooms, only one small “stalk” with other leaf covered limbs coming out from it. I decided to plant it at the corner of my new “friendship” garden at the edge of our driveway, thinking it would be the perfect accent for all of the plants I had growing that friends gave me cuttings of or that I transplanted from other areas of my garden.
I now call this the little bush that could!
The butterflies love it! They swarm around it by the dozen, savoring the slightly sweet nectar the blooms produce.
The little bush has grown beyond all expectation to our surprise as well as that of our neighbors!
I see this as a sign of abundance. I originally planted this garden as a sign that I believed in the tomorrow of our life in our home, that we would always be safe and secure here. Gardens signify hope for the future, they are part of the cycle of nature, so very important to our well being. I’m pleased to share the tree as it is today….blooming in all of it’s autumnal glory! Now, to decide how and when to trim it! Any suggestions?
