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| Rosemary's unknown Rudbeckia 18 July 2021 |
Rosemary had a way of showing me stuff that I did not know or notice. Sometimes she did this gently and sometimes not.
Many years ago when I was beginning to get work from Vancouver Magazine I was dealing with art director Rick Staehling. He was picky and he knew what he wanted.
I would show an 8x10 print to Rosemary almost every time I was on my way to the magazine. I remember one time when I proudly showed her a portrait. She said upon seeing it, “Why is that little finger sticking out?” This annoyed me and I left. When I showed it to Staehling he said, “Why is that little finger sticking out?”
From that point I trusted Rosemary’s opinions (but not always!). I believe that one of my trademarks in my portraits and dance photographs is that I always was careful about hands thanks to Rosemary.
Now many months after Rosemary’s death on December 9, 2021 she keeps teaching me stuff almost every day.
It was today that I noticed a flower that was about to open in one of Rosemary’s mixed perennial pots. According to my daughter Ale she says it is a Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan). She knows more about perennials than I do as she worked a lot with Rosemary in her Lillooet garden that Rosemary loved to visit to help.
Now even though I am an old man about to be 79 at the end of August I learn stuff. Thanks to Rosemary but thanks to my hostas I have learned something else which is most interesting.
Because in the last few years I have obsessively scanned my hosta flowers I know something about appreciating flowers about to open and also their continuation which can be gradual or overnight.
Members of the American Hosta Society consider hosta flowers as unimportant and they put all their interests on their variegation, etc. I see these flowers on elegant scapes (hosta nomenclature for stalks) as supremely striking and they remind me of Swedish design.
Now because of hosta flowers and Rosemary I have discovered yet another flower that is beautiful before it opens.
While today, as I write this is 18 July 2021 I will place the blog back as I am filling holes left by my long melancholic blog writing block.
