“Plants that wake when others sleep. Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.”

When I was a child, summertime always meant open windows and an attic fan vibrating the whole house with the intensity of a freight train.  Summertime meant waking every morning wrapped-up in damp sheets from the dew the fan brought into the house.  Security never seemed to be a  concern,  our windows stayed open around the clock, whether we were home or not. 


Interestingly, the yards and flowerbeds around every house I think I've ever lived in contained many of the same plants.  We always had fragrant old roses, gardenias, magnolias and a plant we called a "banana shrub" (Magnolia Fuscata).   The attic fan undoubtedly brought in tons of pollen but it also made the whole house smell wonderful.   


The Magnolia Fuscata in my backyard today has long since passed shrub status and is a beautiful small tree - already covered  with buds and blooms that fill our entire backyard with their unique fragrance every afternoon.