h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This Entry was written in memory of my mum in the run up to the first Christmas without her, she died in March last year. When we visited her around Christmas time she always had a Poinsettia in full red bloom.

Love the picture the Eds used, it really compliments the Entry.

Emmily

My dear Emmily,

What a beautiful tribute to your Mum.

I can assure you that if I had had to do all that you reccomended I would never have had a single pointsettia in my garden in Harare, Zimbabwe. !!

Instead of which I had the most magnificent bank of them between the paddi tennis court and the level of lawn which we had built up on our sloping plot - the rocky wall holding this level was nearly eight foot high!.

I was driving past Government House one day, returning to our home in Borrowdale, when I noticed that the gardeners had trimmed the poinsettias outside of Government House and the cuttings had fallen onto the broad expanse of ground between the boundaries of Government House and the public road.

I stopped my little Morris Mini minor station wagon, jumped out of the car and collected as many cuttings as I could and put them in the back of the car.

The next morning, after taking the five children to school I came back home and with the help of the two super gardeners I was fortunate enough to have working for us in developing this lovely plot of land, we made a new bed. I stuck the cuttings which I had collected the day before, into the rich red soil and kept them reasonably watered.

The cuttings "struck", and they gave us the most wonderful show of poinsettia "blooms" for about two to three months for the next ten years, and were a truly royal sight. I really never knew that they were so probelmatic to grow in the cold climas of Europe.

What a lovely memory of your Mother, to think that she loved this most decorative and rewarding plant so much as to have some in her home every year.

I pay tribute to you writing about so very well about a truly magnificent flowering plant of the tropics. growing in northern climes. and your love;y memories of it through your mother.

With much gratitude for reminding me of a truly wonderful plant.

Christiane
AlsoRan 80

Wed. 8th April, 2010 19.21 BST

My dear Emmily,

What a beautiful tribute to your Mum.

I can assure you that if I had had to do all that you reccomended I would never have had a single pointsettia in my garden in Harare, Zimbabwe. !!

Instead of which I had the most magnificent bank of them between the paddi tennis court and the level of lawn which we had built up on our sloping plot - the rocky wall holding this level was nearly eight foot high!.

I was driving past Government House one day, returning to our home in Borrowdale, when I noticed that the gardeners had trimmed the poinsettias outside of Government House and the cuttings had fallen onto the broad expanse of ground between the boundaries of Government House and the public road.

I stopped my little Morris Mini minor station wagon, jumped out of the car and collected as many cuttings as I could and put them in the back of the car.

The next morning, after taking the five children to school I came back home and with the help of the two super gardeners I was fortunate enough to have working for us in developing this lovely plot of land, we made a new bed. I stuck the cuttings which I had collected the day before, into the rich red soil and kept them reasonably watered.

The cuttings "struck", and they gave us the most wonderful show of poinsettia "blooms" for about two to three months for the next ten years, and were a truly royal sight. I really never knew that they were so probelmatic to grow in the cold climas of Europe.

What a lovely memory of your Mother, to think that she loved this most decorative and rewarding plant so much as to have some in her home every year.

I pay tribute to you writing about so very well about a truly magnificent flowering plant of the tropics. growing in northern climes. and your love;y memories of it through your mother.

With much gratitude for reminding me of a truly wonderful plant.

Christiane
AlsoRan 80

Wed. 8th April, 2010 19.21 BST