Each summer, one of my great pleasures is my husband’s garden, which
fills our postage-stamp-sized yard with a profusion of colors, smells and
blossoms. Of all the varieties, the most delightful flower of all is the
evening primrose, which at twilight blooms in the space of just a few seconds.
It’s a remarkable thing to observe. Before Bob planted these flowers I didn’t even realize
there were flowers that bloomed so quickly. Watching them is like seeing
time-lapse photography. We try to view them every evening we can during this two-week period, watching out the window as the light fades. “It’s started!” Bob will exclaim, and we’ll hurry outside to marvel as the blossoms start to pop, one after another. The blooms are beautiful for only a day and then they fade and drop to the ground. A fitting metaphor for the transitory nature of existence, certainly.
We had some Korean friends over for dinner the other night, and naturally we took them into the garden to see the flower show. They said that in Korea, flowers that bloom in the evening are called “Welcomers of the Moon.” Isn’t that lovely?
So here’s a video of our evening primroses, unfolding as the locusts sing (the lighting is dark, but after all, it’s evening).