In Arizona, Nancy Caywood’s grandfather always picked the first cotton flower each year and gave it to Nancy’s grandmother. Carefully placing it in water to keep fresh for a while, her grandfather and grandmother believed this would bring a bountiful harvest.
Following tradition, Nancy’s own dad, Tom, anxiously watched for the “first flower” so that he could give it to Nancy’s mom. “She looked forward to it each year,” explained Nancy.
Now, Nancy’s son, Travis Hartman, searches his cotton fields for that “First blossom” so that he can present it to his wife, Amanda, keeping the Caywood family tradition alive.
According to Flower Advisor, cotton flowers symbolize wealth and well-being in your life. This odd, yet stunning flower means we are to cherish the people around us and certainly those who grow cotton, making it one of the best gifts for birthdays, proposals, or anniversaries. Also from Flower Advisor, seeing cotton plants in your dreams is a message that you are awakening.
So, it’s absolutely appropriate that the Caywood Farms family tradition is to give the first bloom spotted in a cotton field to the one you love.
“We are optimistic we will have a great harvest,” said Nancy!
Trivia notes about the cotton bloom: What is a cotton bloom, or flower? The creamy or white petals of the flower turn pink after 24 hours and shed within a week as the fertilized ovules of the ovary grow into a boll that will eventually open and reveal the fluffy white cotton Arizona is known for growing so well. In most of the Cotton Belt (those states that annually grow cotton), the effective bloom period occurs from late June or early July to mid-August.