Cardiocrynum

Just look at this beauty!  The name of this plant is Cardiocrynum and it is originally from the Himalayas; the UBC horticulturalists were able to somehow cause it to be adaptable to our cooler climate on the West Coast, and this morning I was so grateful.

This plant found its way into my garden, as so many of them do... as a lovely gift.  A few years back, I was invited to an older couple's home to see their amazing display of rhododendrons on their sprawling acreage.  The names of this couple are Ken and Ted and they used to get a laugh out of people thinking that they were a gay couple... but they weren't!  Ken's name is actually Kentucky, apparently her father had visited the states as a young man, and was quite taken with the state of Kentucky.  I told Ken she should be grateful that he hadn't been impressed with Illinois - imagine going through life as the girl that was 'ill'!

Anyway, on this particular visit, Ken was confined to a wheelchair and was unable to go through the grounds with Ted and I, so after she introduced me to their 'pet' ducks, which waddled out from the back bushes and made their way to the kitchen door for a treat, Ted and I headed out to look at the Rhodos.  To be honest, I like Rhododendrons, but not as much as Ted, he actually belongs to the Rhododendron Society... I had no idea there was such a thing.

As we rounded the corner of the house, I saw the garden from a different angle and spotted right away the Cardiocrynum's,  how could you miss them, there were simply masses of them and none under 12 feet high.  And the scent was AMAZING, each flower trumpet has the scent of a fragrant Lily and with all those flower trumpets, the air was perfectly heady.  I spent the next 30 minutes learning about these plants and practicing it's name.  I told Ken that the 'cardio' part of its name reminds me of the heart, and the 'crynum' reminds me of the mind.

Ken passed away not too long after that visit; I am so grateful for the lovely afternoon and the gift that both she and Ted gave me from their garden; and this morning, as the fragrance of the flowers floated in through the windows, I realized that Ken was indeed on my heart and mind.