Hi! Scraps here, The Writer’s Dog!
Hey did you get your April Guideposts magazine? Guess what, Dad has a story in there! You know that Mom writes for Guideposts. And she also often helps bring good stories to Guideposts, and helps other people tell their stories. So, when she was talking to Dad about this certain hibiscus plant in a pot in our backyard, she knew that there was a story there he just had to tell. Here is the plant. Isn’t it pretty?
When they bloom, they get a beautiful, big tropical-looking flower. But when Dad wrote about this plant…well, actually just the seeds, he wasn’t all too sure if it was going to grow at all. You see, he found this old tin in the garage, and it contained an envelope with a note that said the seeds were 80 years old!
(Photo by Roy Gumpel)
So he planted the seeds and waited and waited. He almost gave up, but then the seeds sprouted! That plant meant a lot to all of us, because it really beat the odds, and showed that something good could come from something so old. Pete and Ernest like to sniff that hibiscus plant when they were outside. Here are some more pictures of it.
So Dad told his story. Photographer Roy Gumpel came over and took some photos to go with the story. This is Roy in our garage, taking the photos. It was COLD that day, even though this is a summer story. We have to take the pictures months and months before the story comes out.
It didn’t get a flower, but we are hoping maybe this summer. That is, if it survives. You see, winter came, and the plant couldn’t stay outside. So Dad brought it inside and put it under a grow light. But all the leaves fell off. He kept taking care of it, and now that it’s spring he put it outside again. It looked like it was going to happen–we noticed little tiny buds on it and some green in the stalk. But then we had SNOW in APRIL! So, the hibiscus may not have been too happy about that. Stay tuned, because I’ll be sure to let you know how it is doing as time goes on.
You can read the story in May’s Guideposts or on Guideposts website.
If you subscribe to Guideposts, let me know how you liked Dad’s story. And even if you don’t subscribe, what do you think–did you think the 80 year old seeds would grow? Did you ever plant something that surprised you? What is your favorite plant in your garden? And do you think Dad’s hibiscus plant will survive the cold and thrive again this summer?
