02 May 2007

forsythia

forsythia is now in bloom. from a distance, the shrubbery looks like a beautiful cloud of sunny yellow. up close its not so pretty. just a bunch of funny little simple flowers running up and down a bumpy branch. it gets worse. when the flowers begin to go by green leaves appear and the plant is two-toned for a while. and finally it becomes an often scraggly plain old green bush for the rest of the summer. i could never understand the appeal of it - with the possible exception of these few glorious weeks in may.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i always supposed, that when my mother's aunts used to say "the forsythia is in bloom!", that to them it was a sign of winter being over. to my mother, it was the inflection in their voices that made her giggle. i don't remember ever hearing any of them say it but...i wish i had. joanna