My hibiscus waited for a snowy day to warm us up with this lovely bloom!
We were anxiously expecting this bloom on the 14th. And the 15th. By the 18th, I resigned myself to waiting. The wait is over. Hy, my hibiscus is no longer in the world of ‘I Think I Can’. Hy’s new motto is ‘I Knew I Could’.
So what was the delay?
I think Hy wanted to be appreciated for all that he does in the bloom category. He is certainly climate challenged here in Chicago, yet he comes through.
The eight hibiscus species that are considered to be the ancestors of the modern exotic hibiscus were originally native to Mauritius, Madagascar, Fiji, Hawaii, and either China or India.
Note the absence of Chicago in that list. Hy is not used to the snowy scene he sees out my window. I know Hy was not outside today when this snow fell, but I think he made us wait because he was feeling that we take him for granted.
It’s kind of like bananas. Yes, bananas. Bananas are also taken for granted. According to A Brief History of Fruit,
Bananas are native to Southeast Asia. However by 500 BC they were being grown in India. Alexander the Great ate them and his men took them back to the Western World. By 200 AD bananas were grown in China. Bananas were probably taken to Madagascar by the Arabs and spread from there to mainland Africa. In the 16th century the Portuguese took bananas to the New World. The first recorded sale of bananas in England was in 1633 however they were expensive until the end of the 19th century.
We’ve got it good these days, even on a cold snowy day. I had to walk no further than my kitchen to find a blowl of fresh fruit, as well as my blooming hibiscus. Thanks Hy, for reminding me to be thankful.
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