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Gifted plants can become cherished reminders of significant events and may hold memories for generations, writes Claire Austin.
WORDS CLAIRE AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHY CLANCY PAINE
In the garden I grew up in, near Gulargambone, New South Wales, we always knew that the huge ghost gum towering over the house was a gift from Aunt Grace to my grandmother for looking after her firstborn while she was in hospital having her second child. Asking Dad how old the tree is usually results in a calculation: “Well, Gavin was born in 1961, so that means it was planted two years later, in 1963.” The gum is such a feature in the garden, with its smooth white trunk. It now protects the house from the western sun, so it’s nice that this beautiful and useful tree has its own story.
I was recently at the local rugby club’s 70th anniversary ball. The table chat turned to gardening, and I was telling my friend about my next column idea about legacy plants. She told me that in her garden, where her husband’s grandparents lived some 70 years before, there are two huge jacaranda trees, given to the grandmother as seedlings when she left hospital in Sydney with each newborn baby. It’s hard to imagine the 600 kilometre journey from Miranda to Marthaguy with a new baby, then getting home and trying to keep a jacaranda seedling alive as well.
There’s an urban myth that she used to go up to the top of Miranda Fair shopping centre at the end of each spring to view the purple display. I wonder what she’d think of the two trees that have survived many a drought and flood in this isolated garden, so far from Sutherland Shire.
After a decline in local tree canopy, in 2023 North Sydney Council announced a similar ‘Trees for Newborns’ program. New parents can request a tree on the arrival of their baby; we might see a new trend of celebratory trees popping up in many gardens, just like in the 1950s.
The purple blossoms of jacaranda trees have a different meaning for me. Student folklore at the University of Sydney said that if you hadn’t started studying by the time the jacaranda bloomed in the Quad, you were destined to fail your exams.
While trees and shrubs are planted as symbols of new life and hope, they are also often given as a living tribute to commemorate a deceased loved one for generations to come. When we first moved to Gin Gin station, my grandmother gave me two ornamental pear trees. Not long after I planted them, she passed away; so I have a nice little reminder of her each time I mow around them. They are always the first to flower in late winter and I chuckle to myself at how dramatic they are when they change colour in autumn.
When it comes to symbolic flowers, the Peace rose, with its large yellow petals outlined with soft pinks, has become a symbol of optimism and world peace. Developed just before the outbreak of World War II, the rose was handed out to delegates assembled for the first United Nations meeting after Germany surrendered in 1945. The rose is long-flowering and easy to grow.
A rural garden, often tended by generations of the same family, is layered with memories and tributes to previous custodians. I love how each generation can reinvigorate a garden by renovating it, but also respecting the previous owners. But it’s easy to see how the removal or death of trees and shrubs can be heartbreaking for some. Many plants are planted with thoughtful meaning. If only trees could talk!
Rosa ‘Peace’
In the language of flowers, roses can symbolise many things depending on their colour. The Peace cultivar is a vigorous bush rose that grows to 1.2m in height and has pale yellow petals outlined with pink.
Jacaranda mimosifolia
A beautiful flowering tree, much admired for its purple bell-shaped flowers. Established plants tolerate light frosts.
Olea europaea
Given the right conditions, some olive tree cultivars can have a life expectancy of well over 300 years. They are a traditional symbol of peace, but given their life expectancy, they are a great gift celebrating enduring friendship.
Prunus spp.
A symbol of the fragile nature of life, with four distinct stages, the beautiful spring blooms herald the start of spring, representing new beginnings.
Myosotis spp.
The dainty blue flowers are a symbol of remembrance and everlasting love. They are annuals that flower in spring. Sow seeds directly into soil with other spring-flowering plants such as daisies and daffodils. Also great as a ground cover or border plant.
Claire Austin runs the Gin Gin Garden Club, an online community. Follow her on Instagram @gingingardenclub
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