My moonflower vine has started blooming now that the nights are getting longer.
It’s been a tough summer for keeping plants alive with our abundance of heat waves. But the vine survived and has a lot of buds I’m hoping to enjoy over the next month.
I got out my pencil, pen and watercolors today and decided to paint my first one of the season. It didn’t turn out quite as magical as the real thing – shades of white are hard to handle – and I’m still relearning watercolor, but I thought I’d share it. Every painting an artist makes is not perfect, and some of mine aren’t even close. But we are bombarded with perfection, so I think it’s good to show art that’s wonky and unpolished. Art is good for everyone at every level to enjoy.
I worked from a photo I took yesterday, painting in the airconditioned house instead of the 95 degree heat. And of course, it’s an interpretation and not an exact copy. I had fun blending the blues and trying to capture the lines in the flower.
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Just Lovely! I so wish I could get them to grow for me. Maybe next summer….
They like hot days and long nights so they usually don’t start blooming till this time of year. They don’t always grow well in pots, but I’ve been able to get mine to grow pretty consistently each year. Now that I’m in Memphis. They didn’t grow well in Portland when I lived there.
So lovely, Joy.
Maura
Thank you so much 🙂
I loved what you say, that we “are bombarded with perfection”. Your drawing is beautiful. I learned about this moonflower not so long ago. I think it’s a beauty. Is it true that they only bloom at night and lasts only for the night, or something like that?
(Just a quick note: I changed my account and had my blog transferred)
It’s true, they blossom as the sun starts to set and only last one night. When they bloom, they release a sweet fragrance that attracts beautiful moths to them. They are a true delight of late summer.