It started growing, and soon had taken over a corner of the kitchen. It sprouted numerous leaves and then the leaves started sprouting leaves. Then all kinds of long shoots started growing. They wound their way up the side of the cabinets, across the top, across the doorway and then across the next cabinet. one very small flower like bud appeared and then died and dropped off. I finally cut off a bunch of the stringers. (78 feet was their total length)
Not much more happened except some new shoots and leaves started growing. Then..... the other night, Chere Bear called me and said "look at this!!" There was a long stem with a large closed flower bud on it. We watched it closely for a few days because we knew that this flower would bloom at night and then be dead the next day. We did not want to miss it! Then one evening, we saw that the bud was starting to open. We were amazed at how beautiful and fragrant it was.
It continued to open up.
We watched it for a while and then turned in for the night. I checked it once in the middle of the night and it still looked fine except a couple of the little petals that were starting to droop. When we checked it the next morning, it was gone. It is a little sad that such a beautiful and fragrant flower comes and goes so quickly. (I guess there are some lessons about life that the flower could teach us) We are so happy that we were able to see the whole process. We don't know if, or when the plant will bloom again, but this one flower makes all the care and climbing vine mess worth while.
going... going.. gone!!
It was just 24 hours from when it started to open up until it was completely gone. :(
We will keep you posted if or when it ever blooms again
