4 Apr 2013

A - Z Challenge - D



Daphne mezereum. Determined.

These wild plants grow under beech woods in deep shade during summer. However, before the leaves have formed after winter, sunlight reaches the ground and allows them to flower. Their determined effort to produce flowers in such a short time-span is rewarded by the seeds which follow.


Cultivated Daphne bushes are grown for their beautiful and intensely fragrant blooms. I walk past a bush, six feet high, which grows in one of the cottage gardens along the road from me. The flowers are tiny. Although I've never been close enough to sniff the fragrance, I turn my head in that direction every time I pass in a determined effort to capture the scent, remembered from my youth. Often, my grandmother would wear a tiny bouquet on her lapel containing Daphne. Childhood is often remembered through the sense of smell.


 Proverb: Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom



21 comments:

  1. Thank you Francene for this! What a deliciously determined plant indeed! I will link onto your blog and look forward to tomorow's one.
    I was going to write about 'doubt' for today's challenge but O my goodness it was a complicated topic. I reckon doubt is the shadow of faith .. the shadow always necessary.

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    1. Great phrase--deliciously determined. Doubt is a complicated subject.

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  2. I love the sound of that bouquet in your grandma's lapel. I may start doing that if it ever stops snowing!

    Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain

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    1. Gone are the days when women dressed themselves up with flowers--more's the pity.

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  3. Thank you brightening my day with your daily bouquets.
    What a sweet image you presented of your grandmother.

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    1. A flower brightens every day. We must remember to look in the wild.

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  4. Your post on the determined Daphne is lovely Francene thank you so much! And it is a beautiful flower -
    6 feet tall? That is extraordinary.
    I am hoping that this comment comes through as I commented earlier, twice, but it seemed to go into the stratosphere.
    I was going to post on 'Doubt' for the 'D' for today and would have used your lovely quote. But O my goodness, doubt is such a huge subject! The shadow side of faith - necessary to it.
    I have looked at your previous posts and will check them out again as they were so heartfelt and beautifully written -

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    1. I appreciate your effort in posting a comment twice, Susan.

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  5. Interesting comment about childhood memories and the sense of smell. I've never made that connection until now, but yes, it is so true. I can distinctly remember some events/places and the associated smell now that I think about it - my cousin's house, the rhubarb plants in my grandpa's garden, the inside of my dog's house when I saw her pups for the first time. They're very vivid memories and smell is a big part of it.
    Great post!

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    1. I'm glad I brought that association into your mind. I can imagine the musky aroma of your dog's kennel.

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  6. Very pretty flowers. They must have smelt beautiful in a lapel. What a lovely memory.

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    1. The smell of the cultured flower is heavenly, as is the memory.

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  7. How clever, different flowers. They're beautiful thanks and happy A to Z.

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    1. Wildflowers are part of nature's bounty. Usually small, we might pass them by. I'm glad I brought them to your attention.

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    1. We need to bend down occasionally and see the little things in nature.

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  9. Clever posts... Good luck with the challenge.. :)

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    1. It's great to be appreciated for my intellect. Chuckle.

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  10. What a lovely theme!

    Really looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

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  11. Hi Francene .. love Daphne - my uncle had some in his garden .. and I can't access any at the moment .. but I'll get a garden again soon .. cheers Hilary

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  12. You're so right about scent being the source of memory, and thanks for shairng yours about your grandmother.

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