I'm joining the blog carnival Favorite Plants hosted by "My Little Garden in Japan" for this post.
The challenge - to share your favorite plant.
For a plant lover,
choosing one favorite plant is, of course, impossible.
So, I'll highlight one of my many favorite plants,
the Japanese Maple.
While it's a wonderful tree,
there's a special reason for my choice,
but we'll get to that later.
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) is a beautiful group of trees -
many cultivars cover a range of sizes, leaf color and forms.
A variety can be found to fit most any scale landscape.
The pretty form, leaf texture and
spectacular fall foliage make them a great feature in the garden.
This cutleaf maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum)
has a spectacular sculptural form.
And now the reason for my choice.
This is my Burgundy Lace Japanese Maple, which was planted
in memory of my dear mother, who passed away in 2000.
How fitting that she be honored with a beautiful tree,
she who brought beauty to whatever she touched.
She created a lovely landscape at our home,
crafted its bounty into graceful arrangements and
recorded them in colorful watercolor paintings.
My mother passed on her love of beauty and flowers.
But she did so much more.
She spent her life serving her family with a quiet and gentle spirit.
She made our lives rich with love.
And so I choose the Japanese Maple to honor my mother -
a woman who excelled in all that really mattered in life.
18 comments:
Beautiful choice, and for a beautiful reason. Thank you for sharing.
The trunk and branches of your Cutleaf Maple our very cool. Never see that here in New Jersey.
Very beautiful post!
Is so nice you have such a lovely way of remembering and honoring your mom. Your maple looks amazing! I hope mine gets to be as good as that someday. So beautiful and lively colors. Also, the shape of your cutleaf maple is outstanding as well.
Thank you very much for joining the carnival with this great entry!
I love acers and have often thought of buying one but I don't think I have the space to do one credit
That is a beautiful dedication !
I think your mother would be very proud indeed.
I love these amazing trees too but because of the weather zone I am in .. it is very shaky ground to have one of these beauties adapt to the climate .. but I have planted two last year in protected areas and have my fingers crossed ..
That cut leaf one is simply amazing with its twisted trunk !
Joy : )
What a lovely tribute to your mother. Japanese maples certainly are a lovely tree and offer so many choices, your second photo particularly blew me away. There's so much about this tree to love.
This is such a beautiful and heartfelt post. Very touching . . . a lovely tribute to your mother. Gorgeous photos too.
Certainly a gorgeous colour and lovely photos! Ive seen Japanese maples featured again and again to showcase Autumn's beautiful colour..they got my thumb up for being so outstanding and a favourite to everyone!
A living tree is a beautiful memorial for your loved one! Especially a Japanese maple, I hope it lives long enough for your great-grandchildren's great-grandchildren to enjoy.
I love the reason for choosing the Acer as your favourite plant. Family ties and traditions are important, and passing on down the generations a love of gardening is something I feel strongly about.
I have only one small Acer Palmatum Purpureum in my garden, but it's only about 23cm tall. If only I had a tree as impressive as your Burgundy Lace!
They are magnificent trees and their Autumn colours are superb. 'Burgundy Lace' is a very fitting tribute to your mother.
The second photo is amazing.
I love this tree, BEAUTIFUL.
A wonderful tribute to your mother... Japanese maples are a new passion for me and I'm hoping they can handle our climate, as I've planted many recently... your photos are spectacular! L
What a sweet way to remember your mother. I love these beautiful trees as well-they are my signature plant and are ever so special. I wish mine were half as big as yours though-the trunks are splendid.
What a wonderful way to honor your mother. I am sure she would be pleased. Japanese maple is my favorite tree, also. The golden leafed tree in your second photo is astonishing and exhibits many of the reasons I love these trees. I have a number of them in my garden. One is our "marriage tree" and has been growing 35 years.
Thank you for all the lovely and thoughtful comments! I appreciate your allowing me to remember the special mother I was blessed with. I would like to clarify - only the last photo is of my tree - I hadn't taken a picture of the entire tree. I thought I'd spare you the details, but it's actually her second memorial tree. The first was planted in Slovakia where we lived for 13 years - we planted another one after we moved back to the U.S. and it's still very small. The other photos are of trees from around town. The lighting was just right on the Cutleaf....
A lovely tribute to your mother, Chris. And I do love those Japanese Maples. Your cutleaf is nothing short of amazing!
Loved ones never truly leave us, I guess, and gardens are great places for commemorating those no longer with us in a subtle and life-affirming way.
This was a beautiful entry, and yes the Japanese maple is indeed a beautiful and delicate tree.
Post a Comment