Late For An Important Date

So....


Yesterday, I have a conversation with another random visitor at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  At the same time, we both stopped to watch the 20+ turtles sunning themselves on a raised ledge in the quickly growing Lotus area of the Japanese Lake.


This lady tells me that the 2 people in her group, herself, her husband, and her brother, drive twice a year from Ohio (485 miles!) just to see the Botanical Gardens.  She told me that they normally visit around this time of the season each year, and once more later in the growing season.  They visit at this time specifically to see the Azaleas, Tulips, Daffodils, etc.  (I know that you, astute dear reader, have already figured out the gist of this tiring saga!)


Let me present to you the moral of this story even before I reach the end:
Those dear people drove 485 miles to see "something they have always seen at this time of year".  Although they were enjoying their visit, they TOTALLY missed the Daffodils, 99.99% of the tulips are gone, and what ever Azaleas remain are in their death throes even as we speak.  Magnolias are definitely, finished, but the Rhododendrons are still breathtaking and beautiful.


Most of the tree peonies have long since bloomed, and have lost their petals, but even though a few of the 'ordinary' variety of peonies have completely finished blooming, most have yet to take center stage.  I know that by the last of this month, or the first week of May, most likely all of the peonies will have finished - a month early.


Speaking of early finishes (Dorothy: "Keep it out of the gutter, Blanche!), the LARGE Iris  beds are, even as we speak, in full bloom.  The Iris' started blooming a couple weeks ago, and anybody that knows Iris' well enough will know that an Iris that bloomed in early April is a month to a month and a half early. They are usually an early-to-mid May bloomer.


You knew that there was another moral to this story!


If you want to see the Iris' - go NOW, or some time this week.  


If you do the same thing that these dear, weary long distance travelers did, and you wait for a particular plant's  "normal" bloom time to visit, you will, in essence, be sitting in the bleachers of Busch Stadium the day after a game. You will miss the entire show. SO... adjust your minds, your visits and your calendars accordingly - or you will miss it.

- Michael