how to scare adults and small children
A box showed up last week. Inside was a plant I’d bid on on eBay, Darlingtonia californica, the cobra lily, a plant for the new bog garden. It was a nice little division, packed in sphagnum and still wet from the bog garden it had just left. I showed it to John.
“It’s enought to give me nightmares,” he said, shuddering a little.
I have this scare of snakes, a fear instilled in me by a nanny who took me to the Rangoon zoo and pointed out the the banded kraits. “See that one? It can kill you with one little bite. And that one,” she said, pointing out the Burmese python. Well, she didn’t need to say anything. Multi-feet long, and as fat as I was, there was no question I wouldn’t want to feel its loving embrace.
Some people want gardens that are pretty and make them feel good. But somehow I end up getting this plant that has more than a passing resemblance to my childhood fears. Maybe it’s about time I faced them head-on. And as scary as this plant is, I think it’s also fairly amazing-looking. And for the first time, I have this compulsion to give this plant a nickname, something like…Audrey…
April 13 2008 08:27 pm | Categories: my garden • plant profiles | Tags: bog garden • cobra lily • Darlingtonia californica • snakes
Greg on 14 Apr 2008 at 10:11 pm #
Man, even the scary plants are cool as hell.
Just love the coloring and the patterns, not to mention the snake shape. It’ll be fun to hear how many people get that momentary fright…enjoy!
[ Lost in the Landscape ] » …and some not so garden-worthy on 14 Mar 2009 at 12:31 pm #
[…] southern Pacific rattler, probably no longer than my forearm and too young to rattle. I’m deathly afraid of snakes but managed to fend off the fear to snap the picture and watch the snake as it coiled itself […]
[ Lost in the Landscape ] » my swamp creatures on 02 Jul 2009 at 5:49 am #
[…] a closely related swamp thing that’s native to Northern California and Oregon. That plant, Darlingtonia californica, however, is as difficult to grow in most locations as it is stunning. If your can’t provide […]