the delicate beauty of oleanders
I feel that we Californians/Italians are sometimes prone to underestimating the delicate beauty of oleanders: they are so very common to our landscape that they are easily taken for granted, perhaps at times, not even noticed.
For many reasons, they were our natural choice for much of the Genius Loci landscaping: drought resistance, extended-blooming season, mass of colorful blooms, resistance to parasites and other plant diseases, minimum fertilizing needs (certainly not a minor factor as we aim to protect the environment)...but also for the delicate beauty of their flowers, spade-like leaves, graceful branches (which dance to the slightest breeze) and rapid, robust growth...not to mention their very particular suitability to "rustic" stone walls, handmade bricks and antique roof tiles.
Too often we fail to notice the beauty of common things, of everyday things. Exquisite beauty abounds and surrounds us if we only take the time to look up and notice...and appreciate.
