I always find it a complete surprise, no matter that it occurs year after year, that the Solandra maxima, or Hawaiian Vine, flowers here in late winter! I associate it with summer, with its large, waxy yellow trumpet flowers, streaked with brown lines that remind me of vanilla pods, yet smelling like coconut….the beach on a hazy summer day. Yet here it is, bud after bud bursting open against golden sandstone, despite the morning temperatures being close to 0!
What an extraordinary contrast to the jasmine that unfurled its first petals at the same time. Its sweetly perfumed, delicate flowers tinged with pink couldn’t be more dainty. At opposite ends of the garden, they’re creating a great deal of cheer in an otherwise barren space…