Clivia
My parents loved and nurtured all kinds of plants, both indoor
and outdoor. It would be fair to say that they had green fingers. My father
loved fuchsias and grew many varieties, but my mother particularly enjoyed
house plants. She was also an amazing flower arranger, entirely self-taught.About thirty years ago, long after my father died, I gave my
mother a clivia, which flowered beautifully just once. No matter what she
tried, or where she situated it, it never flowered again for her, though all
her other plants thrived and rewarded her care with beauty. After she died, I inherited her clivia and brought it home to our
conservatory. To my surprise, it flourished and flowered. Eventually, it grew
too big and had to be repotted and still it grew.
Finally, I had to divide it and from one plant gained three,
all strong, strapping plants. They all produce large heads of blooms, but all
flower at slightly different times, so that our conservatory has a long
sequence of gorgeous, bright orange flowers. Soon, they will need to be divided
again. Every time I look at my lovely clivias I think of my mother. Perhaps,
after all, I inherited just one of her green fingers.
What a wonderful memory and a gift that has rewarded the giver in more than the usual way. I think that is lovely.
ReplyDeletexx
Thank you, Joy x
ReplyDeletePlants are almost like cats ! I got one skinny half dead plant, 6 months later in my living room it grew and grew and now I have two ! And I did nothing ! Had the same with an Hibiscus which never produced a flower, when I put it here it started to bloom twice the year ! And I certainly don't have green fingers and my parents preferred to hire a gardener !
ReplyDeleteSometimes things just happen ;-)
DeleteI am not anonymous !! Gattina Google !
ReplyDeleteAlways thought it sounded like a disease as in “l’ve got a touch of clivia”
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha!
DeleteI love the idea that every time you look at the lovely clivias, you think of your late mother :) I do the same thing with daffodils which my late mother loved.
ReplyDeleteIt's the little things that evoke memories, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Janice - love the memories ... my mother too was green-fingered and remembered all the names - fun to see your Clivia and hear its story - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilary. Are you green-fingered?
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rajani.
DeletePlease read my post
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to be connected and what amazing longevity in your plant. F wanted a piece off a button hole (or sweetheart) rose bush she gave her dad and which had scrambled all over his front fence but it never got collected before his house sold.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame about the rose. Like photographs, plants can refresh memories.
DeleteI don't know if it is the same there but here there are two different pronunciations of clivia and no one seems to know which is correct. It's the same with ficus.
ReplyDeleteI've only heard one pronunciation of clivia - all short 'i' - but ficus can be short or long 'i'.
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