“Large-leaved and low-bent, trailing immense,Magnolias…” — Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Princess”(1847) The Flowering of Memory and Myth Two splendid Sycamores stand like sentinels in my backyard—tall, stately, unshakeable. They frame the rear of my son’s New Jersey home with a quiet majesty. But it is the Magnolia trees in the forecourt that currently command all attention.Continue reading “Magnificent Magnolia – In Bloom and Beyond”
Tag Archives: spring
The Poem in the Petal: Torch Ginger
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” — Henri Matisse A Flame Among Leaves It was during a quiet morning walk—the kind where the world slows and the soul listens—that I first encountered it: a towering flame among leaves. Rising silently from a bed of earth, its tall stem shimmered with an almostContinue reading “The Poem in the Petal: Torch Ginger”
Brahma Kamal-A Poem
A Nocturne in White (There are flowers that bloom for the crowd, and there are flowers that bloom for silence. The Brahma Kamal is of the latter kind. It waits not for sunlight but for stillness—opening its celestial white petals only when the world has turned its face away. Cradled on the edge of an unassuming cactus,Continue reading “Brahma Kamal-A Poem”
Gliricidia Bloom
O Gliricidia, quiet and free,A lesson wrapped in mystery—That grace resides in things that fade,Yet in their loss, their light is made. Some trees stand tall and imposing, their grandeur capturing attention from afar. Others, like Gliricidia, enchant quietly, weaving a spell not through stature but through the ethereal beauty of their bloom. This timeContinue reading “Gliricidia Bloom”
The Caribbean Trumpet Tree: A Waltz of Falling Blossoms
When the Caribbean Trumpet Tree awakens, it does so not in a blaze of colour, but in a hush of pale elegance. Its trumpet-shaped blooms emerge in soft shades—an almost translucent white, sometimes tinged with the faintest blush of pink. Against the sky, they seem less like flowers and more like wisps of drifting cloud,Continue reading “The Caribbean Trumpet Tree: A Waltz of Falling Blossoms”
The Grace of Pink
(Few colours can match the grace and elegance of pink. It is the colour of tenderness and purity, of sublime passion. While red is fierce, pink is soft; while red excites, pink soothes; while red ignites, pink pacifies. And no earthly creation personifies pink in all its splendour more than the pink that adorns this humbleContinue reading “The Grace of Pink”
Colours of Bengaluru-III
The Yellow Radiance of Amaltas Following the fiery red of the African Tulip and the ethereal white of the Indian Cork Tree, Bengaluru’s lush canopy bursts into a brilliant yellow each spring, thanks to the spectacular Amaltas, or Cassia fistula. Commonly known as the Indian Laburnum or Golden Shower Tree, Amaltas is one of the city’sContinue reading “Colours of Bengaluru-III”
Colours of Bengaluru -Part II
The White-Elegance of the Indian Cork Tree ‘Draped in nature’s elegance, white flowers bloom, embodying grace and beauty’ In contrast to the vibrant and bright colours that crown the arboreal canopy of Bengaluru, there exists a quiet, soothing counterpoint. These are the soft white bloom of the Indian Cork Tree (Millingtonia hortensis). In this seriesContinue reading “Colours of Bengaluru -Part II”
Under The African Tulip
(A walk under African Tulip’s enormous canopy is elevating. On a cool morning, or in the mellowing evening, the experience is up-lifting. The shade is soothing, and the caress of the gentle zephyr stimulating. As one walks beneath, one is not only mesmerised by the tree’s physical beauty and the resplendence of its brilliant flowersContinue reading “Under The African Tulip”
Colours of Bengaluru-Part I
The Orange, The White, The Yellow, and The Purple Part I-The Orange of African Tulip A Flaming Jewel in Bangalore’s Crown Whether one is strolling down the avenues or simply glancing out from one’s window, the African Tulip tree is a sight that holds one spellbound, its bright blossoms painting the cityscape in warm, inviting hues. That Bangalore’sContinue reading “Colours of Bengaluru-Part I”