The top photo is of our Lantana in mid-summer in all its glory and much beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds.
The bottom photo, which I took just now, is of our Lantana after I finally got around to giving it a winter trimming.
It looks like a bundle of dead branches, doesn't it? Something that ought to be dug up and thrown away. Ah, but with no additional care at all -- no fertilization, no watering -- this amazing plant will be beautifully flowering and spreading to occupy a large space at the back of our home for much of 2017.
If you look very closely right now, you can see tiny green sprouts that presage the glory to come -- harbingers of Spring and new life.
The Lantana goes through this amazing cycle annually. Remembering the Bible story, I think of it as the Lazarus of the natural world. In many ways, it does remind us of the potential for rebirth and new life. Spring comes on March 20, and Easter Sunday arrives on April 16 this year. But we already can spot the harbingers and celebrate renewal and the blessings of life.
© Robert Gray Holland 2017
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