usedto
Lunatic Member
Sentimental story, if you don't mind.
My father passed away in 1995 at the age of 76. He had issues with his pancreas from the 60s, a broken back thank to a sheriff doing in excess of 100mph without lights or siren in 1992, and later on, prostate cancer. We knew in advance that his time was limited. One day he and our mother were out doing whatever they were doing when they happened across a flower shop/nursery that had a Storm Cloud Agapanthus on display. Agapanthus are fairly common in the light purple or white, but they had never seen one this color. They both fell in live with it. Mom decided they'd be a perfect flower for the impending event.
As things sometimes go, dad passed away in July of that year, when they are usually in bloom. Mom ordered four of them for Dad's funeral, so each of us kids could take one home to plant. None of us kids are known for our gardening ability, and soon the others all died. I had an old nursery bucket left over from a business venture, so I filled it with dirt and stuffed the plant in it and set it in front of my office. For some strange reason, It grew. Agapanthus are glorified weeds - they keep growing, and when they get too big, you cut them in half and you have 2 - 4 - 8 - and on and on. Over the years, we divided the one in front of my office and planted them in our yard. I think we have 15 or 20 right now. The original - in the pot in front of my office - is the most prolific. It will sometimes put on somewhere between 10 and 20 flowers.
Last year, Mom's time came. She passed unexpectedly in late June, but we decided to hold off on her "celebration" until July to accommodate some of her family and friends' previous commitments. She would have wanted it that way. As luck would have it, the timing for the Agapanthus to bloom was perfect. Except one thing - although all of the plants around the house had their normal clutch of blossoms, the original - the one in front of my office - from Dad's funeral - had one. In the 17 years since Dad's passing, it has NEVER only had one flower. I took special care of it, and the morning of her funeral, while in full bloom, I cut it.
We took it to the cemetery for the family-only service, where I told the rest of the family about the single bloom from this one plant. We had others from the many "sibling" plants, which we left at the grave site, but took the single to the festivities, where it was the centerpiece of her memorial.
Several of her closest friends, as well as some family members, asked if they could have cuttings from the plant. This year for Christmas, I dug up a batch, potted them, and gave them to those who requested.
So this year, I didn't know what to expect for blossoms. Needless to say I was quite surprised to see 28 buds pop up this year. Today was the first day that all 28 were open, and a few of the earlier ones are starting to drop their petals, so I thought I'd snap a photo to show you. The top in the original plant, with two youngsters in the red buckets waiting to go to others who want them. The bottom is a closer shot of the flowers so you can see the rich color of the Storm Cloud.
So if you're ever in central California and want a Storm Cloud Agapanthus, stop in. Mom and Dad would be more than happy to accommodate you.:thmbsp:
My father passed away in 1995 at the age of 76. He had issues with his pancreas from the 60s, a broken back thank to a sheriff doing in excess of 100mph without lights or siren in 1992, and later on, prostate cancer. We knew in advance that his time was limited. One day he and our mother were out doing whatever they were doing when they happened across a flower shop/nursery that had a Storm Cloud Agapanthus on display. Agapanthus are fairly common in the light purple or white, but they had never seen one this color. They both fell in live with it. Mom decided they'd be a perfect flower for the impending event.
As things sometimes go, dad passed away in July of that year, when they are usually in bloom. Mom ordered four of them for Dad's funeral, so each of us kids could take one home to plant. None of us kids are known for our gardening ability, and soon the others all died. I had an old nursery bucket left over from a business venture, so I filled it with dirt and stuffed the plant in it and set it in front of my office. For some strange reason, It grew. Agapanthus are glorified weeds - they keep growing, and when they get too big, you cut them in half and you have 2 - 4 - 8 - and on and on. Over the years, we divided the one in front of my office and planted them in our yard. I think we have 15 or 20 right now. The original - in the pot in front of my office - is the most prolific. It will sometimes put on somewhere between 10 and 20 flowers.
Last year, Mom's time came. She passed unexpectedly in late June, but we decided to hold off on her "celebration" until July to accommodate some of her family and friends' previous commitments. She would have wanted it that way. As luck would have it, the timing for the Agapanthus to bloom was perfect. Except one thing - although all of the plants around the house had their normal clutch of blossoms, the original - the one in front of my office - from Dad's funeral - had one. In the 17 years since Dad's passing, it has NEVER only had one flower. I took special care of it, and the morning of her funeral, while in full bloom, I cut it.
We took it to the cemetery for the family-only service, where I told the rest of the family about the single bloom from this one plant. We had others from the many "sibling" plants, which we left at the grave site, but took the single to the festivities, where it was the centerpiece of her memorial.
Several of her closest friends, as well as some family members, asked if they could have cuttings from the plant. This year for Christmas, I dug up a batch, potted them, and gave them to those who requested.
So this year, I didn't know what to expect for blossoms. Needless to say I was quite surprised to see 28 buds pop up this year. Today was the first day that all 28 were open, and a few of the earlier ones are starting to drop their petals, so I thought I'd snap a photo to show you. The top in the original plant, with two youngsters in the red buckets waiting to go to others who want them. The bottom is a closer shot of the flowers so you can see the rich color of the Storm Cloud.
So if you're ever in central California and want a Storm Cloud Agapanthus, stop in. Mom and Dad would be more than happy to accommodate you.:thmbsp:
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