Re: Childhood plant memories

Jan Smithen wrote:


Does anyone else have childhood memories of what you did with plants??
On Saturday, Jun 11, 2005, at 00:22 Europe/London, Tony and Moira Ryan wrote:


Some of my most vivid childhood memories revolve round the numerous and lovely trees and shrubs of the large garden on our Kenya coffee farm.

In particular it had the most wonderful selection of climbing trees. Three of the best of these were Cape chestnuts (Calodendron capense) and the forth was a massive mango tree. As a solitary child (the youngest of the family by 11 years) sitting and dreaming in a tree was about my favorite occupation...
I'm sure most of us have tree-climbing and den-making memories - mine was a huge hazel at the end of the garden. My Dad rigged up a seat (saved from the sandpit from another garden) and a rope ladder which he taught me to climb sideways, like a sailor. I'd sit up there for what felt like hours, and sing as many of my favourite songs as I could remember. Another favourite was a Japanese maple in our grandparents' garden - it was one of those purple cut-leaved varieties, and made a small dome, perfect for a den.
I loved your memories, Moira, especially because of the oleander - children are far better at surviving than most adults give them credit for!
William Morris' utopian novel, News from Nowhere, turns the woods over to people to camp in for the summer, with children "clearly enjoying themselves to the utmost; some of them were hanging about little tents pitched on the greensward, and by some of these fires were burning, with pots hanging over them gipsy fashion..." Of course they don't have to go to school when summer's over, either!

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