Joyful

Day 344: Given that most of the year is spent nursing along what appears to be 12-18" long sticks with a few leaves at the top, spraying them daily and watering the soil only when the pots become quite light, I have reason to be joyful when my Adeniums come into bloom. Indeed, "Joyful" is this one's varietal name, and it should be noted that all or nearly all of the large-flowered types of Desert Rose are grafted plants or reproduced with cuttings, although the question of "chicken or egg" sticks in my mind because somewhere there surely was a seed which produced the first plant with 3" flowers. In any event, I have not seen non-grafted plants with supersized blossoms for sale, although I have seen the small-flowered African native species offered. That said, anyone walking past my sunny, south-side kitchen window would probably wonder why I have sticks in flower pots occupying the ledge. Well, this is why.