christmas plants
I bought a Jerusalem Cherry plant last night, while finishing up my Xmas shopping. It's one of my favorites for Xmas plants, very cheerful with bright red holly-like berries among dark green leaves, and very under appreciated. In general I like all of the Christmas plants - Jerusalem Cherry, Christmas Pepper, Christmas Cactus, Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Holly, Mistletoe and Ivy - most of which got their holiday status because they flower in December, or remain green in the cold. The last three on the list, along with evergreen trees and wreaths, pre-date Christianity as symbols of life and resurrection in the bleakest time of winter.
Now to the less distant past. When I was in Grade 8, at Woodview Public School, we had a Christmas project where we had to write various assignments about the season and holiday. It's the kind of thing that PC-ness probably wouldn't allow now, but it seemed pretty harmless then. I remember, in one assignment, I decided to write about the origin and care and cultivation of the various Christmas plants. I got so interested in the topic that it went on for 8 or 10 pages with added diagrams and drawings. And my teacher was so impressed by the report he let me forfeit having to do two of the other ones.
That year I got my mom to buy a Jerusalem Cherry and a Christmas Cactus, and I kept the growing and re-flowering for a few years after that. I had always liked nature and plants, but my interest in horticulture and gardens really did start then, in the middle of winter, with a Jerusalem Cherry.
Edit: Took out the cheerful Jerusalem Cherry picture due to some asinine copyright violation warning thing that was popping up. Yeesh.
Now to the less distant past. When I was in Grade 8, at Woodview Public School, we had a Christmas project where we had to write various assignments about the season and holiday. It's the kind of thing that PC-ness probably wouldn't allow now, but it seemed pretty harmless then. I remember, in one assignment, I decided to write about the origin and care and cultivation of the various Christmas plants. I got so interested in the topic that it went on for 8 or 10 pages with added diagrams and drawings. And my teacher was so impressed by the report he let me forfeit having to do two of the other ones.
That year I got my mom to buy a Jerusalem Cherry and a Christmas Cactus, and I kept the growing and re-flowering for a few years after that. I had always liked nature and plants, but my interest in horticulture and gardens really did start then, in the middle of winter, with a Jerusalem Cherry.
Edit: Took out the cheerful Jerusalem Cherry picture due to some asinine copyright violation warning thing that was popping up. Yeesh.