One of the hardest things for me to do right now is to not water the Bougainvillea. Each day that passes another bloom appears, but I wait 3 days and then check the soil with my moisture meter. If they’re bone dry, they get a good drenching for one more bloom.

They are not by any means in full bloom, but are full of greenery with a few blooms. Sitting on my bench on the back porch I took a good, long, look around me and noticed I was surrounded by green. I know we talk about blooming a lot, but today my lovelies, lets talk about staying green. There’s so much vibrancy in the color green.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but my backyard doesn’t contain a lawn. The top half of the yard, where the porch is located is all dirt, with a thin layer of crushed granite. The bottom half has weeds that I try to keep green for the dogs to lay on, but they’re not deprived of where to lay. They each have a raised cot sitting in the dirt and Winnie likes to lay at my feet up on the porch, but having a dirt yard suits me.

The Hydrangea is still alive and growing, but can’t take the heat, so it spends most of it’s days indoors. I sit it outside periodically, but forget it’s there and by the time I see it outside, the poor thing has completely drooped. I bring it indoors and sit it on the rusted cart in front of it’s window and all is forgiven by morning.

I’m thrilled the Hydrangea is alive and growing, but have released my expectancy of a bloom. I’ve read that it rarely blooms it’s first year, but uses that time for growth.

It can take years before it’s mature enough to bloom, so for now it’s a houseplant, but once the outdoor temps become cooler, I’ll sit it outside. Most of it’s growth has come from being outside in the mornings before the day heats up. This sunny window maintains it’s dark, green foliage, but it reveals new growth after being outside.

I’m pretty sure all the plants I’ve killed in the past were from too much attention, but the Bougainvillea are teaching me to back off and simply pay attention. Growing up and throughout my marriage I always felt the need to be doing something. It was shameful if caught having a moments peace and especially if it looked like you weren’t busy.

While sitting on my bench on the back porch that morning with a cup of cold brew in hand, I was noticing the various shades of green of every plant nurtured this year. So many different shades of green and each plant had their own, unique texture that it was almost overwhelming with the backdrop of the dirt yard below.

Looking closely you’ll spot a new bloom, but the foliage is the main attraction. A next-door neighbor steps outside to empty a small trashcan into the big one and we lock eyes for a moment. His head tilts to the side as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m doing. I raise my cup and smile with a nod to assure him I’m busy, even though what looks like doing nothing is the way we practice… the art of noticing.