Friday, March 6, 2009

Blooming Friday


flower of our clivia (or bush lily) in its glorious beauty


Even though I have some plants that died this winter (for which I feel so bad), I am very much consoled by the flowering of the clivia, also known as bush lily (Clivia miniata) I planted last year. My in-laws gave us two of them, one hasn’t flowered yet but the other has given me these sublime blooms.


I marvel at the contrast of its smooth orange petals to the deep green foliage --- it’s like a microcosm of a tropical garden. And the pollen-filled stamens that leave a fine layer of yellow powder on your hand as you gently brush against them add a whimsical dimension to the vigorous flowers. They’re like magic wands of tiny playful fairies, weaving magic around those who look at these spectacular blooms.


With the sun’s rays beaming on them, they glow with a certain vibrancy that is rather hypnotizing rather than blinding (which one would expect from a brightly-colored flower). I don’t know if it’s the tunnel shape of the flowers, or the beckoning stamens, or the light colored center that draws me to come closer and gaze at it longingly. All I know is that I’ll never get tired of looking at them.


I hope I’ll be able to have these plants for a long time. Even without the flowers, they are great to have inside the house for their evergreen leaves. And since clivia is an indoor plant, during the cold dark months of winter, having these very lovely blooms is like having your own source sunshine right inside your home.


see my other blooming fridays
see other blooming friday participants

10 comments:

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Fantastiska foton, snyggt jobbat!

Ha en trevlig och solig helg/ Tyra

Katarina said...

The beauty of the Clivia is indeed magical! I recently bought 2 plants - one big and one small - and I'm eagerly waiting for their first blooms... It might take a year, it might take two...who knows! But it's worth waiting for.
-Excellent shots of this beauty!
have a lovely weekend!
Katarina

Anonymous said...

Hi Lareine, your photos are exquisite, as is the flower. There is magic in each shot and your narrative adds to the delight. Thanks so much!
Frances

sweetbay said...

Beautiful photos Lareine. The detail and color is just perfect.

Lillebeth said...

Really lovely plants. Maybe i should get myself a Clivia. The seem to give so much joy. Thank you for beautiful pictures.

lareine said...

to everybody: thanks for dropping by... clivia flowers are really beautiful... and with the right amount of light coming through the window, they're exquisite!...

to roses and stuff: you're absolutely right!... the flowers are well-worth the wait... i hope by next year, you'll have them...

to lilibeth: i would suggest getting one... and even if they don't flower the first year, the leaves are decorative evergreen, so they're nice to have inside the house...

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, I love those colours. I have a white flower (I do not know the name) which blooms only once a year and it's always worth the wait, for the sight of it and its scent is wonderful =) Beautiful pictures lareine =)

Unknown said...

I've never heard of these before! Beautiful! I love the colors and I love the sharpness of your photos! you're right, perfect against the dark foliage.

Anonymous said...

Your cilivia is beautiful, as are your photos! :-)

lareine said...

to nussaibah: thank you... and i think flowers that bloom once a year are really lovely because they sort of "concentrate" their beauty for the one time that they show their charm:)... and hope you can post a photo of your white flower... it must be a stunning flower also, especially with its scent...

to lisaschaos: with a compliment like this coming from a very good photographer, i'm flattered:)... thank you very much... they only bloom once a year, usually by the end of winter, and they are indoor plants that's why maybe you don't encounter them often:)...

to andré: thanks! the flowers are really worth the wait... and i'm lucky to have the right kind of natural light when i took these photos...

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