Rising up in New England, I distinctly keep in mind as a baby my variety neighbor exhibiting me her yellow marigolds and educating me about flowers.
On the subject of flowers, marigolds are – on reflection quite fittingly – a humble flower. They’re pretty subdued of their magnificence and never notably extravagant or uncommon.
They don’t name consideration to themselves.
The flowers that develop in Berkeley don’t have fairly that quiet, restrained, domesticated feeling of that flower of my youth.
Although not fairly feral, some seemingly aspire to be.
They develop on giant bushes, they’re in all places, they’re numerous in dimension and form and shade; they’re exuberant, expressive, and extraordinary. They climb and develop giant and assured.
Some come to us from afar – South Africa’s Protea, Brazil’s Princess, and Australia’s Kangaroo Paws.
Some are decidedly Californian – blue-eyed grass, carmel mountain lilacs, and sentinel manzanitas.
Bougainvillea doesn’t have a lot in widespread with my first marigolds.
Huge and ablaze in shades of magenta, purple and pink it overflows and appears to thrill in its expansive abundance.
Fruits are plentiful in Berkeley.
Figs and grapefruits develop with breezy ease on entrance lawns.
However right here is the factor. Simply as you suppose Berkeley has gone full-on Mediterranean on you and you might be getting your bearings amongst the lemons and clementines and considering you perceive the citrusy nature of this setting, Berkeley pulls a shock – take care of a pear? How about an apple? A peach or a plum?
And so it reminds you that within the metropolis of everlasting spring, on this backyard paradise, virtually something can develop.
Palm bushes, olive bushes, passionfruit, plums, avocados and apricots… it’s dizzying and pleasant.
My first summer time in Berkeley I used to be shopping for stamps on the native put up workplace. I requested for airmail stamps and the postal employee helpfully offered them.
I checked out them – a deep shade of inexperienced and a form I couldn’t fairly make out that appeared intricate and unfamiliar – and stated, with a combination of what might have appeared like curiosity and concern however actually simply mirrored momentary confusion and my east coast origins, ‘What’s that?’
And with benign readability he stated again, ‘That, properly, that’s a succulent.’
He stated it with the light, sluggish, non-judgmental and decidedly reassuring cadence of Mr. Rogers – magnanimity within the face of my momentary lapse of consciousness.
I had truly been accountable as a younger boy for watering my grandma’s succulents, so I had seen succulents earlier than many a time. However some a long time had elapsed between these watering obligations and this second, and my mind freeze revealed that I used to be clearly not from California.
‘Oh, proper’ I stated – as if I had identified all alongside and was not genuinely baffled at first look as I regarded down on the stamp.
I’m nonetheless not fairly certain what I used to be anticipating. Possibly an oak tree or a maple tree.
That’s the factor about New Englanders – or a minimum of about me. After I consider nature I take into consideration Maples. Autumn. Reds and oranges and yellows. Leaves altering shade.
That’s in spite of everything what we do in New England and what we’re well-known for.
That and snow.
My first few months in Berkeley I found California’s response to maples; liquid ambers.
Ablaze with shade, I used to be once more reminded that regardless that Berkeley couldn’t pull off the sort of autumnal paroxysms of shade that New England presents with aplomb and reliability, Berkeley nonetheless had just a few tips up its sleeves.
Many people are nonetheless immersed in a topic or exercise that helped us by the pandemic’s most tough days.
I binged on just a few issues like many individuals – from world music to movie – however primarily on flowers and lengthy walks.
In a contented sort of delirium, I might textual content pals infinite pictures of passionflowers and trumpet flowers in vibrant yellow and white.
Roses of each shade and moonflowers in violet and blue and morning glories at their most expressive and resplendent, together with Chinese language lantern flowers in pink and pink and yellow – and tear drop fuchsia and vibrant deep purple Brazilian princess flowers – these had been my companions and my enchantment.
They helped shepherd me by the pandemic, and they’re serving to as soon as once more as we emerge from its most tough years.
And for that and for them, for Berkeley, I’m most grateful.
