Magnolia

[iselima]

Magnolia

 

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"The magnolia symbolizes sweetness, beauty, and love of nature.

"A hint of spring."

Added by Swannie

Although it has no specific heraldic symbol, it has developed over time into a symbol of femininity, nobility, and perseverance."

A bit of (too) lyrical prose...

Magnolia -- she has been colouring most of my adult life. I started to note her on my long cycle journey's in Winter's cold and darkness, when the growing buds on her branches were among the first signs of approaching Spring. They were hope giving and warming on those moments of lonely freezing tiredness.
Ever since I would always look at any Magnolia with love and admiration.

Isn't she also beautiful enough for such feelings?

About fifteen years later, married and with three children by then, we got our first real house, with upstairs and downstairs and a front and rear garden. We couldn't be happier!

It was a house with a little added magic, for it's street was named Magnolialaan and you would never have seen another street so richly planted with Magnolia's, white and pink, trees and shrubs. And not only in the gardens, but the council had decorated the whole street along it's full length with Magnolia's. 

In Winter our street held the promise of Spring, with Magnolia's strong buds on naked dark branches telling so obvious of the season to come.

In Spring our street was worth a detour, with it's awesome abundantly white flowering Magnolia trees and it's pink flowered shrubs. Our street bathed in the sweet fresh scent of the blossom and smelled heavenly for a few weeks. 

I felt like living in one of the most special and blessed streets imaginable. And more so, as it almost seemed my special love for Magnolia's had brought about this little miracle in our lives. Nonsense of course, it was sheer luck or fate that brought us there, as in Holland there is very little to choose when you are in need of a house. You get an offer when it's your turn and you can not even say no, or you may have to wait for years more. At least that was the case in out area and in our financial position.

Three years ago we decided to migrate to London and Magnolia's lost their prominence in my life, sadly. You see them in gardens in our area, but they are spread out and often small, not attracting attention like the Magnolia's in our old street.

Still, if I feel a connection with any plant, it is the Magnolia. She came in my life when I started to discover myself and she sort of symbolizes my struggle for independence, my deep, longing and enduring search for my femininity and my perseverance not to give up, to keep searching and not to give in to depression and feelings of 'being no one'. 
I will not call myself noble, not at all actually, but femininity and perseverance, traits which the Magnolia would symbolize...well I'm happy that it are precisely those things she seems to stand for.

So, like my previous blog - started when we were still living on the Magnolialaan - was named Magnolia, let me subtitle this live-journal with that name too...



Magnolia quote and picture taken from: http://symbolism.wikia.com/wiki/Magnolia

Comments

[minervas-eule.livejournal.com]

I ordered a tulip-magnolia at the plant nursery last week - my 50 th birthday present from last fall (they did not sell magnolias in fall); I always wished for one in my garden, I love to look at the ones in front of the old villas, but as we moved so often (which I knew in advance we would) I knew I would not see it grow into a big tree, so I waited until now. I am quite hopeful that we will stay in this house and garden for the rest of our lives and I will see the chest-high bush I ordered grow every year.

[iselima.livejournal.com]

That's lovely, both because it's a magnolia and because probably you're finally going to stay in this house. It's a most wonderful way to celebrate that fact. I feel like congratulating you with it!
Which colour Magnolia is it? I've seen white/pink, dark pink and yellow tulip-magnolia's. They all have their own beauty, I think.

I dislike this post quite a bit, not for it's contents, but for it's tone. It's so artificial, not at all fitting with me. Soon after this, I realized I should try to express myself as I normally do - quite direct and less polished. It helped me a bit, though I'm still struggling to write posts in a style that reflects 'me' *gg*.