Friday, May 16, 2014

the meaning of magnolia flowers






I have a few more photos
from Florida to share with you. dear reader...

Spring in the south means magnolias are in bloom

and I have been waiting...

magnolia grandiflora




rather impatiently to see them
in all their splendid glory...

magnolias, you see...
 are the oldest flowering plants in the world...
that is quite a distinction...
don't you think?

I was impatient because I have never seen them before, but if you follow
La Dolce Vita... 
then you know that I am impatient about ALL blooms...




my quick sketch of the Magnolia Grandiflora...






nature has always inspired me...

I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's book
The Signature of all Things..
the heroine, studies moss








and so I was captivated by the mosses on the trees...







and the tiny ferns growing from both
moss and tree, and thinking
what a great relationship trees have to all of life...








and it reminded me of how interconnected we all are...





palm trees the color or dusty miller...





and for those of you who have never seen a magnolia tree in bloom..
it is quite spectacular, I assure you..









the flower petals are very large and thick..




my quick sketch of Magnolia Virginiana.. the first to go to Europe



and they drape over the leaves as if they are swooning..









 the undersides of the leaves are a distinct copper brown..
quite remarkable...








they have an air of nobility and perseverance...







and their meaning?

a love of nature...


of course...


xo