Last One Standing

We had our first snow and bitter cold of the season. It was the end of the third week of November and I didn't cover our lovely pink spreading petunia plant that had blossomed for seven months in a large, wooden barrel on our back deck. I planted two plants in that barrel last May. One lasted a couple of months and faded away, leaving room in the container for the petunia to live up to its name and spread, and spread some more, covering the soil with its bright green leaves and bountiful blossoms. It brought a touch of pleasure each time I walked by and saw more buds and blooms.

When the weather began to cool down in October, with a few frosty evenings, the plant continued to survive, and thrive,  growing tiny new buds as if it saw no end to the season. I marveled at its stamina. Our bees paid visits to it long after every other flower in our garden had turned to seed. Around the beginning of November I began to cover the barrel in the evenings which were promising to be below freezing.

On the night of our first snow I regretfully stopped spreading the newspaper cover over the sturdy plants. In the morning I peeked under the blanket of snow. The leaves were still green, a few hardy flowers were still standing and the smaller blossoms had turned downward, at long last beginning their journey back into the earth.

When I came into the house I noticed that our Christmas cactus was blossoming, or, as my husband said, our Thanksgiving cactus was in bloom. I whispered thank you to the spreading petunia plant for bringing color into my life for many months, while welcoming the rich rose color of our indoor plant hanging in the window against the backdrop of the glaring white snow.