Can you believe that it is almost Easter? The giant snowbanks in our yards might discourage us from believing that spring is here, but it is indeed, and this Sunday is Easter Sunday.
Many plants are connected with Easter: the classic, elegant white trumpet lily, the beautiful hydrangea, or the bright tones of tulips. But one more plant can be added to the list: the passion flower.
A very dear friend of ours is an avid gardener, artist and photographer. She once showed us pictures of her passion flower, and it was absolutely striking. When I did some homework about the plant, I found out some very interesting things about why this plant is so closely connected with Easter. Let’s have a cup of tea and I’ll tell you what I learned.
Are you familiar with the passion flower? The passion flower, passiflora, belongs to a family of flowering plants that can be shrubs, but most are vines. Most of these plants originally called South America and Mexico home, although they are found elsewhere in the world. The flower is a beautiful round, flat bloom, with a very well-defined centre and two kinds of petals: the bottom layer, which consists of broad, firm petals coming to a point, and the upper layer which consists of airy, needle-like tendrils. It comes in various colors but purple is the most well-known and it is very pretty and unusual. In more moderate zones the plant can be grown outside, here we can have it as an indoor plant. It will need a nice big pot to call home, a sunny window, and well-drained soil. In the summer we can take the plant outside, then cut it back and bring it back in when fall arrives. So if you see the plant for sale this spring, don’t be scared to give it a try!
In connection with Easter, the flower’s name refers to the passion of Jesus Christ. The plant was used as a teaching aid by long-ago Spanish missionaries, who used the plant to illustrate to their students the story of Jesus’ passion and death. In the language of flowers, where color plays such an important part of conveying a message, the colors of the passion flower, blue and white, express the idea of heaven and purity. The tendril petals illustrated the whips that scourged Jesus, and also the crown of thorns, while the broad petals resembled that lances carried by the soldiers, and the one that pierced Jesus’ side. These broad petals also represented the apostles who were with Jesus on the night he was arrested; if you noticed the flower has ten petals for ten apostles, and are wondering what happened to the other two apostles, legend has it that the two missing petals represent Judas, who betrayed Jesus, and Peter, who denied Jesus three times.
It’s always so much fun to learn about a new plant and stories connected with it! With gardening, there is always something new to learn. Get out your calendar and circle Wednesday, April 18: that’s the day of the next Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s next regular meeting at SIGN on North Street. Our special guest will be Glen Tymiak talking to us about growing and caring for tomatoes. Glen is so knowledgeable about gardening, and tomatoes are definitely his forte! He’ll tell us all we need to know to get our plants producing delicious tomatoes! We’ll be enjoying toasted tomato sandwiches before we know it!
Keith and I wish you a very Happy Easter; may the hope and joy of the Risen Christ fill your heart and renew your spirit! Have a joyful Easter!
Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca, and have a lovely week!
