Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Beauty in an odd spot

 I was trying to find out what was growing in a vacant lot when I saw a flash of magenta. The color was so bright that I thought it must be a candy wrapper. But it was a flower. When I looked, I saw more flowers.

It was Mirabilis jalapa, marvel-of-Peru. It’s from Peru, Central America and Mexico. But it’s the familiar story: Gardeners love a plant and carry it all over the world. And there are many ways for seeds to jump garden fences and get into improbable places.

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