Here is another old-timer, a deep maroon-flowered Lenten rose that was gifted to Leon and me over twenty years ago from our friends Bonnie and Pam. The plant lasted longer than their relationship with each other, to be sure, and longer than our relationship with them–it has probably been fifteen years since we’ve heard from either one of them. But the plant lives on and reminds us of the good times we had with them.
Some of these photos are horrible, but I still like them. They help capture the essence of this wonderful plant and the richness of the flower color. This plant is growing in our woodland garden the entire time and it blooms most years, but not with the exuberance of the white hybrids in the yard. I’m not sure if it is the cultivar that is weaker, or the gardener’s weakness affecting the plant.
My 2020 goals for this plant will be to get some fertilizer spikes near it to see if maybe it will grow a bit larger and flower a lot more.