One of our unheralded performers, despite years of neglect (I’ve often forgotten about it completely until it sends out this balloon signal) is the balloon flower seen here. It reliably sends up a single unremarkable stalk of green on the late side of spring. By the time it appears, most other plants have filled in and hidden it from notice.
Then in July, and quite consistently, it sends up a bloom or two, presaged by the balloon bud you will see below. It’s an exquisite pattern that I’ve come to rely on, even if I don’t give it the attention, care-wise, that it deserves. Every year I promise to do better, and every year I fail to remember.
Still it blooms, generously providing this mid-season beauty even when we don’t always deserve it. There’s a lesson of grace in that, and it’s one that I’m trying to learn. Bloom – no matter how badly you are ignored or treated – just bloom.
