Gladiolus

Gladiolus

Gardening and Health

Gardening is and has always been my passion, well one of them.

As I wrote in earlier articles, living our Passion keeps us young, fit, curious and enterprising – taking care of our mental and physical wellbeing…. especially if we do it actively outside, inhaling the powerful and healing energies surrounding plants and bathing in fresh air.

Gardening and Health – especially Gardening and Mental Health – are strongly related.

In fact… and as we always cling to ‘scientific proof’, a “… landmark study by Roger S. Ulrich, published in the April 27, 1984, issue of Science magazine, found strong evidence that nature helps heal. Ulrich, a pioneer in the field of therapeutic environments at Texas A&M University, found that patients recovering from gallbladder surgery who looked out at a view of trees had significantly shorter hospital stays, fewer complaints, and took less pain medication, than those who looked out at a brick wall.”

Gladiolus Carneus - Flowers in South Africa

Well, I don’t need Science to know this Truth; a Passion for Gardening is in my blood, going back far into the 19th Century to my grand-grand-father who was famous in Europe for the beautiful gardens and parks he created… gardens that inspired Goethe, Humboldt, Bismarck and Fontane.

His passion went so far that – when the debts became too heavy – he divorced proforma from the love of his life, Lucie, to marry a wealthy English Lady to continue his Gardening Passion… and all the while he kept reporting to Lucie… almost daily… and as his letters were so interesting and entertaining she encouraged him to publish them and they spread all over Europe… and beyond.

Flowers in South Africa

As I start the first of a series of articles on “Flowers in South Africa”, I am looking at an old copy of the book that was published, when I was a child, under the title “Fuerst Pueckler Reist Nach England” by H. Ch. Mettin (List Verlag Muenchen) – in English: Fuerst Pueckler travels to England.

The first letter was written in Dresden, on 8th September 1826 – almost 200 years ago…

It just struck me that we have much more in common than just a Passion for Gardening… but what inspired me to start writing about our unique and so-called “Richest Floral Kingdom in the World” was the fact that – on my way to buying groceries for the weekend – I dropped into the Cape Dutch Nurseries – the “Garden Emporium”… to see what had come in.

Somehone, spring is in the air, the sun is shining and there is absolutely no wind – thus ideal to start thinking “Garden” and “Flowers” … especially as we’re preparing the grounds and getting ready for Spring in South Africa.

"Flowers in my Secret Garden" - by Bianca Gubalke

Gladiolus Carneus

Oh…. never make me go anywhere with a Gardening Center or Nursery inbetween :)

As usual, I was not disappointed… I discovered a stunning flower I had never seen before… well, not its colour – that was new… I was told it’s a new hybrid, so I don’t even have a name yet; I just got it and I am happy as any collector when getting another piece for the collection. Without being a specialist or horticulturist – although I’d love to study that still… – I am of amazing focus and decision when it comes to plants and flowers for my “Secret Garden”… as I said, it’s in the blood – pure passion.

There are over 100 different species of Gladiolus in the Cape region of South Africa, exactly where I live. I have various indigenous species growing wild in my garden and blooming right now during our relatively mild winter if compared with the Northern Hemisphere where temperatures drop far below Zero.

You see an example on the pictures above.

The gladiolus – part of the Iridaceae family – vary from dainty but hauntingly fragrant flowers to the striking Gladiolus Carneus I am showing you here… to much bigger flowers raised by hybrids from these original species.

"Flowers in my Secret Garden" by Bianca Gubalke

Being perennials, the Gladiolus Carneus come and go. I just love to suddenly discover these beauties with their white lobes fading into tender pinks with three striking crimson darts on the petals.

Discovering the dark pinkish version today – I believe it’s a Gladiolus Carneus – was love at first sight!

Like the Gladiolus carneus it has a single spike with three buds with large crimson florets and 3-4 prominent whitish darts on the lip petals.

This photo is just a quick shot with my Web Camera (inside) to document the exciting moment; so the quality is not ideal. But I don’t know yet how long the flowers will last… and whether I can still get a good shot with the NIKON Coolpix P90 I’m still waiting for.

Healing Power of Nature

Like Love, flowers should be part of our daily Life – ideally outside, where we can feel the Healing Power of Nature all around us.

I just had to eternalize the moment right away and show it to YOU… before chosing the perfect position for this beautiful Gladiolus Carneus… just another magic Flower in My Secret Garden…!

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