Our Flower Communion ceremony celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. This week I’ll share some of the flowers recently in bloom on our grounds. Large and small; outrageous and discrete; pink, orange, purple, and white. Living in an interdependent web with our local bees, beetles, butterflies and other insects with an objective of continuing into the future.

Our peonies are not shy.

Our Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) grows over the peonies. The plants in this part of our garden are clearly in competition for pollinators.

Not to be outdone, the bearded iris shouts “hey bees, over here”.

We have a wonderful collection of bulbs near our entrance, carefully selected to provide summer-long blooms. I believe this is an allium.

One of the two new white fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus) planted behind the statue in our memorial garden last year. The fleecy flowers are said to resemble an old man’s beard.

This past week, we planted about twenty new native shrubs along our front path. The silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) is currently in flower. These shrubs should get to be ten feet tall in a couple of years. I’ll highlight our new shrubs in a future post.

Last but not least, one of the most common plants on the grounds with the coolest name of any plant – Enchanters nightshade (Circaea lutetiana). The Latin name refers to the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology. Alas, the plant does not appear to have any magical (or medicinal) value. Some sources say it was confused with mandrake, which appeared adjacent to it in an old book. Take some time to look for it next time you are on-site. It’s six to twelve inches tall.

I hope everyone has some time to recharge this week by spending some time outside. Feel free to visit the River Road grounds and take a walk.

Joe