flowering-pearSpring has come to West Texas, and I’m thrilled. Flowering pear trees are blooming, mesquite trees are beginning to bud and the scissortails have returned to  swoop down from power lines for a meal of bugs.

One of the perks of retirement that I’m enjoying is having time to putter in the yard during the day, checking on the progress of our perennial flowers to discover which ones survived the winter. I was relieved to find little green leaves sprouting around the dry wood of the cone flowers. We have them in a bed on the north side of the house that was covered with ice several times during the winter. The cone flower is a good fit for our climate, as they are fairly drought tolerant. I first discovered them years ago when I put in an herb garden at a previous house we owned. Not only do they have beautiful daisy-like flowers with a cone-shaped center, they are also known for their medicinal uses. Although we have never harvested them to use medicinally, it’s fun to think that we have our own source of echinacea growing in our yard.
This photo from last summer shows how the flowers’ centers grow into a cone shape. I doubt that cone flowers will ever make it into many brides’ bouquets, but they make a dramatic statement in a flower bed.

Take some time to walk outdoors this weekend and check on spring’s progress where you live. You may find, as I do, that the evidence of new growth lifts your spirits and reminds you that new beginnings are possible.