Hope Blooms

This beautiful plant has a special place in my heart. Dione was first drawn to this plant by it's unique beautiful red blooms. They grow and blossom in such an interesting way. She bought it for her sister almost 1 year ago. This plant has survived the most extreme conditions. Last spring was one of the coldest I can remember...we dusted snow from it's petals. Last summer it baked in the heat of a Cache Valley sun. Dione hinted several times that I could get rid of it, but it is more than a plant to me.
Last fall I brought it home for some TLC. I wish I had taken a picture of it so you could see how sad it was. There were no leaves or blossoms and some might have thought there to be nothing left. I replanted it with a shot of some good fertilizer...the shock was almost too much. I wouldn't give up... I gave it a prominent place on the window sill which is bathed in morning sunlight. I will not lie...it might even have received the "bottom of the glass Diet Coke" every once in a while. Slowly this plant has come back to life. We remarked at the progress with each new leaf and then finally a blossom with many others to follow. It isn't the same plant that first caught Dione's eye...but this new plant is beautiful in its own way. I applaud it's progress, tenacity and most especially the ability to survive. I have named it Hope and today...Hope blooms!