Moonlight of India

I fretted about losing this big jasmine all winter-- and here it is, absolutely covered with buds ready to pop open. 

It rained Monday, making for a gloomy holiday, not that was any place to go. This morning, it's still grey and misty as a winter day.  But the sun will soon be out, and we're going to warm up dramatically this week. After the all the moisture, the garden will be glorious. June is the peak, with the peonies and roses.

One little sprig of jasmine from this plant perfumes the entire bedroom. In poetry, jasmine is called "the moonlight of India" because the fragrance permeates the night air.

Leo Delibes wrote an opera in 1883 called Lakme, set in British-occupied India. In the story, the title character and her servant laze away the time, singing under a canopy of jasmine.  The Flower Duet is one of the most beautiful ever written for soprano voices.