The passion flower

I am a fairly technically-minded individual. I don't think I come by it naturally and am not sure at what point it became my strength. But, I am glad to enjoy the way I see things. I think most feel that way about themselves which is why most of us accept a certain belief system - the one we like to think about. I know this is a type of circular reasoning. However, I didn't start out my blog this way to discuss philosophy. I wanted to open up a little of my world to you. It's a bit of a dichotomy and this is why. As I said before, I am fairly analytical but my passion is growing flowers. Is that weird? I mean, just about everything I think about and challenge myself with has something to do with Technology. Physics, Chemistry, Math: I love them all and get excited about using what I learn. But it's doesn't fill me with the peace I get when planting a new clipping of some strange flower or watering the roses and trees. What is confusing to me is, if I love botany so much why can I not see myself employed in that field. I see myself as a physicist and think, “yup, that’s about right.” But I’m perplexed about how I feel when I am around plants. When I go to the book store, the first books I will are in the latest aircraft or boat design genera I glance through them pretty quickly absorbing mostly pictures. Then, I will move to the science genera hoping to find some astronomy or physics curriculum to study. But the most time that I afford at the book store has to do with horticulture or outdoor landscaping/construction. These are the books that I eventually adopt. This one that I found a few months back is my pride and joy. It is Missouri: Gardener’s Guide, by Mike Miller. Man! I really love this book. It has helped me to pick for my garden the hardier plants that will grow well in Missouri. The description of each plant, tree or grass is thorough, even describing some history of where the plan originated. Since buying this book, I have planted three clippings of lonicera periclymenum (the scarlet trumpet honeysuckle), phlox subulata (creeping phlox), six 5-inch high maple trees (they grow fast), Juniper bushes, Box Wood, Fortune’s Hostas, four floribunda roses, two lilac trees, lots of thuja occidentalis (globe arborvita) and various other flowering annuals that will need to be up-rooted and put indoors during the freeze. I actually have my own substantial garden for the first time and I am loving it. I picked up the book today to find a flower that I have seen at work during one of my walks around the grounds. To my astonishment, on the very first page that opened, was a beautiful picture of the flower that I had spotted on the side of the road today. What was amazing about this flower is it looked perfect and intricate, like nothing I have ever seen before. It was mostly purple with some white petals behind the main array, kind of looking like a sea anemone. Can you hazard a guess as to the name of this flower? It is Passiflora incarnate, also known as the passion flower. I will remember to bring my spade to work next time I am there.