Thursday, May 21, 2009

Gutsy Honeysuckle

Yes, I know that honeysuckle is considered an environmental threat because it overwhelms native plants and a lot of gardeners rip it out.

However, I love it. It's beautiful and it smells good and it brings back lovely memories from my childhood.

I'm blogging about it because, though I see the problems, I admire its tenacity and ability to gracefully flourish.







If you like this post, please bookmark it on del.icio.us, share it on StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg. Thanks so much.

15 comments:

billie said...

Peggy, I can't bring myself to rip it out either. Plus the horses seem to love the leaves, almost as an aperitif or palate cleanser. :)

Peggy Payne said...

I think some honeysuckle sherbet would be good, Billie. It could certainly be done. Might take a while to extract the sweet drop out of that many blooms. For all I know it already exists. So many surprising things do. Think I'll check.

Peggy Payne said...

Here's a link to the recipe for honeysuckle sorbet. An NPR reporter discovered it in NC, of all places.

Peggy Payne said...

The link promised above:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4712589

Greta said...

Ditto to everything said! Childhood memory... like despite its being invasive... and the fragrance on the wind!

Peggy Payne said...

Thanks for your vote for honeysuckle, Greta.

Debra said...

Peggy, on the bluff in the front yard of our beach home, we have mounds of gorgeous honeysuckle. In a beach environment, the roots of the honeysuckle help to prevent excess sluffing of the bluff. I adore it and would never consider it a threat. The fragrance is intoxicating and the butterflies and bees seem to adore it. I'm glad that you and Billie share my love of this wonderful plant.

Peggy Payne said...

Everything about your life at the beach sounds wonderful, Debbie.

Debra said...

It is wonderful, Peggy. When our youngest goes off to college in three years, we are going to figure out how we can move down there full-time. Until then, long weekends are enough.

My dad refers to our beach home as my "cone of silence". I am very selective about who I allow in and who I don't.

Peggy Payne said...

Your dad sounds pretty cool too: both this observation and his earlier ones about your writing.

Debra said...

He is a very dynamic and interesting guy. After meeting him, I can almost guarantee that you will never have met anyone like him in your life. He can spin the most amazing tales and have people believe them on the spot.

I do have to say that I am a very lucky daughter to have a dad like him. I certainly have not agreed with everything he has ever done in his life, but I can see past most of those things because I understand his core-being. He is a very smart guy. He takes a huge interest in his granddaughters and guides them in great ways. We have been through some rough patches together and apart, but in many ways, I admire who he is.

How is your mom feeling?

hugs,
Debbie

Peggy Payne said...

Thanks, Debbie. Mom's doing great. Going to a barbecue at the beach tonight. She leads a full life at 87.

Debra said...

I am very glad to hear that, Peggy. She sounds like an extraordinary woman! I love her tenacity of spirit.

Jane Andrews said...

Have you noticed that honeysuckle smell stronger at night? I enjoyed teaching my kids how to get the sweet drop on their tongues. I like to show adults from other places the joys of honeysuckles. And mulberries.

Peggy Payne said...

I have noticed that, Jane, but thought it was my imagination. I thought that the diminished visual stimulus made smells seem stronger. But I just made that up, never checked on it.

And mulberries! A mulberry tree was second base on the kickball field at my elementary school. I'd forgotten.