Flora

The other day I found a little book that I had received many years, a present for Christmas called: “Language of flowers”-a diary of sorts.  A wonderful little book of poetry regarding different flowers. This made me think of the different flowers that bring back certain  memories when we see them or smell their fragrance. I am also very attached to my green plants-I have one that is over 40 years old! Its story is that we had a fire when we lived in Montreal, and this little plant was the only survivor of our whole top floor-it was in my bedroom-all went except this little plant-and it is still going strong-almost miraculously!  

At the moment my whole place looks like a green house, as in the summer they go out into the fresh air-they love it here and they are thriving as they love the clear fresh air and the river. They have this year literally have become giants, -and have now moved indoors because of winter coming, especially two of our massive ferns, my fig tree-and my philodendron-who has at least eighteen enormous leaves- most of them are at least 24-28 inches across. It is taking up a huge space in my living room, which thank God is very big. I have a huge glass door , and the sun comes in from 2pm on-and they just adore it. It is like a jungle in here.

Back to the flowers. My first remembrance of flowers was when I was about 4-at the back of our house in Budapest there was a field-and it was filled with red poppies-I loved to sit and gaze at them and be amazed how lovely they were-also at times I would pop a few buds, and it made a strange popping sound- I can still hear it. I also remember that in the city center of Budapest there are lots of flower sellers on street corners-but ladies often sold bunches of violets and lily-of-the-valley from their baskets. My father`s first flower gift to my mother was a bunch of lily-of the- valley-the fragrance is hypnotic. So this little flower is rather special meaning for me as well as for mom.

The flora in South Africa is fantastic-exotic, beautiful flowers. Most exquisite are the various dozens species of Proteas-they grow in the Cape Province and is the national flower. I adore them-and they just dry out, and stay forever-they hardly lose their colour at all. It is a custom whenever someone arrives at the airport , often they will receive a huge bouquet of pink Proteas from their loved ones. I also received a huge bouquet from my 3^rd boyfriend-on my 17^th birthday-17 pink giant Proteas . This reminds me- on my 16^th birthday –I  got 16 yellow roses from my 1^st  boyfriend :-), on my 18^th I got a bouquet of carnations and roses-from my 2^nd boyfriend from New York-he was the naval officer-the 4^th one I married-he never gave me flowers, he gave me a watch on my 19^th birthday-that should have been a warning  :-)  . It was still a beautiful wedding though- and a  most beautiful, wonderful daughter to show for it.

 Oh- and the awesome, beautiful Jacarandas, they were originally imported from Australia in the early years of  South Africa while still a British colony. Seeing this spectacle is an experience of a lifetime to see them bloom-especially in the capital Pretoria-called the “Jacaranda City”, though Johannesburg has a lot also-these trees are an unbelievable sight. All is just shimmering lilac colour for weeks in late spring which  being late October/ November-and the flowers come first and the leaves later. They are just magical. One of the “flora wonders” of the world I would strongly state.

 Also in South Africa-white Calla lilies grow in the wild, close to the coast in Natal Province-the clime there was quite tropical. Johannesburg`s climate is more temperate, as it is over 1,000ft above sea level. Though we did have many varieties of palm trees and dozens of  colours of Bougainvilleas-which also grow wild all over . We used to go to Durban, Natal- on the east coast, to the Indian Ocean for a holiday almost every summer-which was about 500 miles from Johannesburg-and on our way back we always brought back a whole car full of Calla lilies.

 Our garden was filled with wonderful flowers, scores blue agapanthas, hydrangeas, many various roses, a huge Mimosa tree, a huge “Angel Trumpet “tree-with its narcotic fragrance, in the back four fig trees, a pear tree, an old black mulberry tree and a palm tree. Yep- I remember it well. Magical South Africa-sadly not any more.

 "Angel Trumpets"