Great Beauty in Dark Days
October 23, 2020
Photographer: Menashe Davidson
Summary Authors: Menashe Davidson
"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." - Thomas Jefferson
Gardening, besides being a practical, life-nurturing task, is to me also always a spiritual activity. I’m fortunate in that I’m able to maintain a commercial bearing citrus plantation and a home garden in which ornamentals, vegetables, herbs, are grown in pots. The photo above, taken on July 30, 2020, in my home garden in Rishon LeZion, Israel, demonstrates how I add interest and beauty by mixing flowers with different characteristics. Flower-packed groups using four different species allows me to obtain the look I desire.
Ruellia (top left) - a popular perennial ornamental plant, flowers from midspring through the first cool days of fall, with purple/blue flowers.
Lily (top center) - herbaceous flowering plant growing from bulbs, with large prominent flowers, flowering late spring to midsummer.
Hollyhock (top right) - an annual/biennial prominent plant with very impressive flowers from May through July on stalks that can reach heights of 9 ft (3 m).
Zinnia (bottom) - most popular to grow in summer months. An annual plant, grown from seeds, flowering from May to October.