It is finally May in Mississippi and the Magnolias are beginning to bloom! Never is there such a sweeter Southern scent to harken the arrival of our mid-spring days in the South. With blossoms unfurling wider than a ‘dinner plate’, the Mighty Magnolia (Magnoliacea) heralds return of childhood memories spent playing for hours outside in our grandmother’s yards, chasing bumble bees and darting in and out of fushia-pink Azaleas while playing games of ‘hide-and-seek’. For me, it signifies the ‘true birth’ of spring. First come the lemony yellow Daffodils (Narcissus) followed by pink Dogwoods, golden Honeysuckle (Lonicera), purple Wisteria (Wisteria), and flashy Peonies (Peonia) in full-bloom, but the Magnolia always saves the best ‘entrada’ for ‘last’ by making a strong-3rd base turn into a full-Home Run to welcome warmer days ahead! For those of us who reside in the South-Eastern United States, the stark white blooms of the Magnolia signify ‘purity’. These beautiful blossoms are ‘stout in size’ but do not stay in bloom for long. And although the blooms are ‘short lived’ the dark, waxy deep green leaves keep their 2-tone color (top-side dark green/under-side warm fuzzy brown) while on the tree throughout the entire year. Over the years, I have harvested the fresh leaves for live-green floral decorations in hand-making wreaths and mantle-arrangements during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays or rather any time fresh greenery is needed!
I wait all winter for our Magnolia trees ‘bloom’. Now my early morns are spent waking to admire their beautiful fragrance in the quiet of the dew, giving my thanks and praises to our Heavenly Father for His Creations, and taking a cutting to place in a bowl of water (just as my Memaw Geneva May did to place on her coffee table directly next to the family Bible). She would be proud. My best memories? -childhood summers spent daily with her, going out into yard and picking a bloom from a century old-tree then bringing indoors where she would ask me to sketch or paint one for her and proudly hang it on her wall. Oh, how she loved her magnolias! Oh how I miss Memaw but thankful for her teachings and passing her love of God and especially plants, forward.
All Creations Wild 