We have friends in Michigan who only visit in the spring, fall or winter, same goes for friends in other states.......summers in Alabama are brutal. Right now, it is 10:00pm and it is eighty degrees outside, and it is muggy. The air is thick, moist, and heavy.......but......the gardenias are blooming.
You can smell them, that sweet, earthy, sexy scent.......the heat and humidity just intensify the aroma. Gardenias are my favorite summer flower, the petals are snowy white, almost pearly, their leaves, a dark glossy green.......they are a gift, an apology from Mother Nature for the oppressive heat of summer. I bring them into the house by the arm loads, to me, their sweetness is soothing
and all things summer.......long cotton skirts, tank tops and barefeet, sitting on the porch with bouquets of gardenias, ice tea and a good book.
The flowers are not as big as they are sometimes, and the heat tends to wilt them as quickly as they bloom.......but in the early morning, and late at night, that smell permeates the air and the heat becomes bearable.
Billy Holiday wore them in her hair, brides once carried them in their bouquets, and once upon a time, corsages were made with gardenias. Some may think they are old-fashioned, but I think they are ageless..........summer would never be summer without them. Tonight the house smells
of gardenias, and all is right with the world.
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I've been in Florida in the summer and I think the weather there is similar. It sounds so wonderful to have flowers to bring in the house. I think gardenias are lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt's always a pleasure to have flowers around, at home :)
ReplyDeletemmmm ... Gardenias. They're one of my favorites too.
ReplyDeleteHere in NC the primary scent we notice is honeysuckle
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore the scent of Gardenias - so heavenly, and you are lucky to have them near you. We don't have the climate to grow them here. Certainly not outdoors anyway. I don't think I would like that sort of heat, although I guess you sort of get used to it!! If we reaches 70 degrees here, we think it's really hot! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYes, summer in the south is pretty brutal. And it hits fast doesn't it. We only wild honeysuckle here in droves. I cut them and kept them in the house and the smell was amazing. I also love hyacinth which was my grandma's favorite. Nature's perfume can't be beat can it?
ReplyDeleteThe scent of gardenias as "Mother Nature's apology" for the heat....I love the thought.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday. ....Marsha
That smells and seems just wonderful!! I love hot sticky days and cool nights. I believe they are the best days of summer. We don't get too many of them up in the northeast.
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