Antique flowers, antique house

It's three o'clock a.m.  I've seen that time many nights.  Most times I feel frustrated to be awake, sometimes I pray, but tonight was a beautiful time of remembering without regret....

The Flowers of Coventry

The oldest and

most beautiful pink dogwood I've ever seen graced the side yard between us and Bill, (possibly the worst neighbor anyone ever had) were it not for the neighbor on our other side.  That's why this early morning wake up call was such a wondrous time.  I could think of nothing but the beauty and the people before me who cared enough to plant my perennial garden.

I could never wait for our huge forsythia to burst open. So, I brought stems in every cold spring for forced blooms.  The purple and white lilacs were next.  Lilacs are generally known as a bush type plant but ours were trees!  The scent filled the air for at least three weeks.  As the tender leaves of Giant Hosta started to peek out of the earth, the Bleeding Heart and the Lily of the Valley would race ahead to prove their worth. The Pink Azalea fought for the lead and because they were at the front corners of the house attracted the most attention. The Andromeda kept time with the dogwood ...making me smile as I watched outside my kitchen window. 

Later, the Antique Rose and the Rhododendron would provide pink blooms as well.  In this photo our little visitor thought a pink background best.