Sleep, Creep, Leap

The last few weekends, when the weather has cooperated, Lisa and I have been out getting the flowerbeds around our house ready for winter.  We pruned a few things back, deadheaded some of the perennials, and divided or moved a few plants as needed.

During this time, I came across three interesting surprises, and I have included the pictures below.  They create a good metaphor for what we are trying to do with Royal Outreach to Another Royal (ROAR).  So this entry is especially for those of you who have become ROAR Champions.

Clematis: November Blooms

 We’ve heard that perennials have three stages following their planting: at first they Sleep, then they Creep, and eventually they Leap.  This particular clematis was a bit spindly when we bought it off the clearance table in hopes that it might eventually do well.  We planted it near the back of the house, watered it regularly, and at times we thought it wasn’t going to make it through the sleep stage, much less creep or leap.

About a month ago, however, we saw some new leaves emerge.  Then, well into the cold of fall, it opened up a handful of blooms.  As you can see, the plant still looks a bit anemic, but the flowers are amazing.

Toad Lily: Wrong Name, Right Flower 

The home of this Toad Lily is in deep shade at the side of our house.  We planted it last spring and haven’t paid much attention since then.  It looked fairly healthy this summer but was overshadowed by the plants around it.  Soon after several bitter days of rain and cold, it burst into flowers.  Its name is an unfortunate misnomer.  These blooms are far from toad-like.

Our Toad Lily came into its own long after the others around it had flowered and wilted.

Succulent: From the Desert

This one is my favorite, and I don’t know its name.  I only know that it is some kind of succulent, and that succulents grow wild in the deserts or steppes of the world. You can’t tell by the picture, but the blooms on this plant are only about an inch across.  It was planted in the rock garden—you can see the tufa stone in the background—and it takes full sun.  All through the summer heat it stayed green and grew only a handful of new spikes.  Suddenly, when other plants were turning brown and getting ready for winter, it sent forth these flowers.

Late Blooms and Winter ROARs

Maybe if these plants had bloomed during the summer along with the others, we wouldn’t have paid much attention.  But they didn’t.  They waited until most of their neighbors had long since blossomed, dropped petals, or became dormant.  I suggest to you that seeing blooms late in the season, even after the first frost, makes them all the more beautiful.

We all know students just like these plants.  They go about the business of school without much fanfare.  They sleep and maybe even creep, but they are not likely to see spectacular successes.  If, however, we are patient and continue to nurture these students, we may see them change, grow, and even leap. 

If they do, their success can be something truly special.

Thanks again to all of you who have become ROAR champions. Continue to watch and nurture your students.  Outside we are well past the first frost and even the first snowfall, but inside HSE, it’s still growing season.

It’s a great week to be a Royal.

Phil