It decided to reward me.
At first the bud was quite small, but there it was. I might have (did) emit a tiny squeak of excitement. It was already nearly September and I hoped it would flower before the first frosts hit.
As the bud fattened up, the signs of the actual flower started to unfurl. I had no idea what color it was going to be and at this point I suspected it might be yellow. I had no problem with this, I wanted a flower, color was immaterial.
After what felt an age there was enough sun to make the flower start to open a little bit more,
and then wham, there it was, a beautiful ivory flower.
It was so worth the wait. Just as this flower is fading another bud is nearly open, but now I have brought it inside as the nights are creeping colder.
