Years ago I used to walk all over my neighborhood almost every day. I got to know the gardens of my neighbors pretty well, seasons in and seasons out. Since I have been practicing yoga seriously, I stopped roaming the neighborhood. I forgot all about those gardens too (including mine, but that is another story). The other day, though, on a whim, I took a long walk through the old streets. Not much has changed in most of the old gardens, thanks to the army of hired gardeners who clip and streets, bushes and lawns, to keep them picture-perfect, that is, looking the same year in and year out.
Well, this Strelitzia reginae must have been only a little princess back then, because I surely don’t remember it having such big flowers poised for soaring. Then again, I don’t blame it for wanting to take flight: save for the patch of palm trees flanking the gates nearby which it stands, the landscape is, if not bland, your typical Northern Californian mix of oaks, elms, magnolias (pruned to a dwarf-like state), cypress hedges, privets, oleander, bottlebrush, lawns with patches of lavender, and so forth. What self-respecting bud wouldn’t want to break out and “leave” this safe sea of green behind?
