It's the time of year when, astonishingly, London's mimosa trees come into full sunshine-yellow bloom (accompanied by a subtly beautiful honeyish fragrance). It's always an unexpected, heart-lifting sight in this grimmest month of the year (though I noticed yesterday that the dusk was loud with full-throated blackbirds giving their all). The odd thing about mimosas is that I never noticed them until a few years ago, when a particularly fine specimen stopped me in my tracks - What is thaaat? I soon had it identified, and ever since then I've been seeing mimosas everywhere. It can't be that they're newly planted - many are clearly mature trees. Either I didn't notice them readily because I didn't know what they were, or, since identifying them, I've become sensitised and see them immediately. This looks to me like a good argument for naming and identifying what's around us - it really does, it seems, help us to see.
It's our inbuilt Platonic tendencies, Nige. The urge to classify and categorise. Harmless enough for nature notes but the refusal to deal with complexity means we come up with so many clever but stupid analyses, like the ones being trotted out about Europe v America over at Bryan's place.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar 'mimosa' moment with a eucryphia tree last summer in a Pembrokeshire garden. This medium-height tree covered in ridiculously beautiful flowers and smelling like heaven nearly knocked me off my feet - it was a truly arresting sight. Unlike your suddenly ubiquitous mimosas, I haven't seen any eucryphias in my neck of the woods, not even in the botanical gardens. Perhaps they are quite rare and difficult to grow. If I had a spare square inch in my garden I would plant one forthwith.
ReplyDeleteGosh yes that looks lovely Sophie - I'd never heard of it, though I've had leatherwood honey. Seems it thrives on the west coast of Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for the forsythia to bloom here. Those bright yellow shocks indicate spring has sprung in these parts.
ReplyDeleteOh, the snowdrops are finally up in my backyard. We got ours a long time after you showed us a picture of the ones in your yard. What are your temperatures in Jolly Olde these days?
Ah yes, they are acid-lovers, Nige, which would rule them out here. And Susan, spring has sprung at last in Blighty. It's 11 degrees C and my tulips are nervously poking their heads above ground at last. Which means that they will certainly be eaten by marauding pheasants.
ReplyDeleteand the winter aconite was looking lovely on sunny Saturday in Kent...
ReplyDeleteI wish Mimosa would grow outside of greenhouses here Nige, no chance I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteat the moment the Snowdrops and Aconites are putting on a grand show, covering about a quarter acre, winter flowering jasmine is out and surprisingly the first early flowering rhododendrons, called Xmas cheer.