Hollyhocks evoke within me a deep nostalgia for the balmy sunlit winter gardens of my childhood in northern India. Their spires enclosed a sequestered nook, towering protectively over the riot of color provided by larkspur and cosmos, salvia and cineraria, pansies, nasturtiums and candytuft in their orderly flowerbeds. Long, lazy afternoons were spent reading or playing scrabble while the dogs chased each other on the grass.

Hollyhocks originated in China and traveled west along ancient trade routes via India to the eastern Mediterranean. The Romans brought them to Britain as did returning Crusaders from the Holy Land. Elizabethan England saw hollyhocks flourishing in country gardens, shielding unsightly views by providing a decorative border. In the United States the colonists of New England were the first to grow hollyhocks which soon became popular from Maine to Georgia—Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello; Childe Hassam, the 19th century American Impressionist immortalized them in his painting. See more »

Andrejs :: Jan.23.2009 :: Alcea rosea :: Comments Off

A magnolia tree grows by the entrance to my small house. The earliest proof of spring is a cloud of fragrant pink at my doorstep and the intoxicating scent wafting indooors. Later on glossy green leaves appear but only after dropping petals carpet the ground beneath.

Geologists have found fossil remains of Magnoliaceae dating to a 100 million years ago. Magnolias existed alongside dinosaurs, and long before bees buzzed busily. The flowers were pollinated by beetles, and developed tough carpels (tarpels) for protection against insect damage. Look closely at the center of the flower and you will see a conical shape formed by numerous pistils spiralling in geometrical precision. This cone nests in a circlet of carmine-edged stamens—so many patterns, designs, colors for a curious eye to explore. See more »

macharya :: Jan.23.2009 :: Magnolia soulangeana :: Comments Off