A - Z Challenge: Glory

Magnolia Stellata, or star magnolia, is the glory of our garden.

Oh, I know that those beautiful, blowsy rhododendrons will arrive soon in a flurry of colored skirts and frilled bonnets but  magnolia is the undisputed queen.  All others are just ladies-in-waiting. 

Magnolia spends the winter with her pristine, white blossoms bundled in furry skins, warm against the  icy blasts.  Then, sometime in April (a little late this year), her aspect changes with a crown of white, starry flowers emerging one by one. 

In another week, magnolia will be in white from head to root.  The modest daffs and primroses will be no competition for her.  And, wisely, she will have swept away in a flurry of bruised petals by the time the others arrive with their perfumes and vivid colors.

But for a while, she is the undisputed queen.   Long awaited through the gray rainy days and greatly applauded when she arrives.