Tag Archives: Plants

I watched a film the other day called ‘The Vow’ about a woman who had been in a coma and had woken up but had lost part of her memory so she couldn’t remember being married or her husband. The film focused on the attempts he made to help her to remember which included revisiting many of the places they’d been to whilst together and unfortunately none of them did.
The film got me thinking and I did a little research into memory, how it works and how it can be stimulated. It’s a complicated process, completely different to how a computer memory works according to some, for instead of storing information our brains use a series of stimuli gained from our senses to remind us of what we are ‘remembering’.
It covers simple things such as when we see a collection of marks on a piece of paper our brain follows the process like this…

It’s information, so it’s there to tell me something.

The marks look like letters so they must form words

The arrangement of the letters match with words I know

I can link them all up to read the message

I can understand the message being given by those marks

It’s the same when we meet someone again, our brain matches the face to all the faces we’ve seen in the past and if it’s one we’ve been introduced to it will then try to link the visuality of the face to a name.
And again when we taste food that we love or that we hate, memory has a big part to play. In the film, the woman was a vegetarian but because of her memory loss can’t associate the taste of bacon with her former life as a vegetarian.
Some of the most inspiring ones for me are the memories associated with smell and they’re one of the strongest memory joggers. I love the smell of newly made cotton which reminds me of gifts of clothing. Going into a room where onions are frying reminds me of my favourite dish my mum used to make whilst jasmine makes me think of a garden I loved years ago and the people that owned it. There’s perfume or aftershave that lingers on clothes or furniture or in the room that reminds us of our partners too and each time I smell scented stocks, I’m carried back to the summer evenings in my parents’ garden.
Giving flowers isn’t just a visual gift, you can more than double the effect by choosing scented flowers – research has shown that smell is one of the oldest senses and is even used by bacteria to be able to react to their environments.
If you want to create memories or just stir up some from days gone by, don’t just think about that flowers to give, think about what scents those flowers will have. If you’re not sure, the knowledgeable staff at Cosmea Gardens are willing and able to assist in helping you to give the gift of memories as well as flowers.

We’re fast approaching Easter in the UK and a week after it will be Orthodox Easter and this year I get to celebrate both, being in the UK for their Easter weekend before flying back to Cyprus for theirs.
I love Easter, for me it truly signals the end of winter and spring and the start of the countdown to the heady days of summer. Whilst for many, it’s just a time to consume tonnes of hollow chocolate objects and have an excuse for another family dinner, for the more religious it marks the most important festival in the religious calendar.
I’ve often wondered, especially since living in Cyprus, why the Cypriots don’t really do Christmas and save all the celebrations for Eastertide until I looked up a theological essay on the subject.
As far as I can see, the birth of Jesus is relatively unimportant in its significance to the development of Christianity and I can understand why Epiphany is more important as being the first time he is acknowledged as King by the wise men. But it’s Easter and its implication in the ideology of eternal life that is the main festival because it’s when Jesus shows us that it is possible to be raised from death, if only as a soul, and to take our rightful place in heaven. The whole dogma of Christianity hangs on that one event and is summed up succinctly by the Easter morning Greek greeting of ‘Χριστός Ανέστη’ and the reply ‘Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη’, Christ is risen and the reply, truly he is risen.
On a far more light-hearted note, it’s this time of year when I laugh at the friends who have decided upon a ‘bikini diet’ to prepare themselves for their summer holidays. It usually starts when the clocks go forward only to be rudely interrupted when Easter pops up and they’ve just got to gorge themselves on the chocolate eggs and accompanying individual chocolates not to mention those fondant filled eggs that shall remain nameless.
So what should we get for those people who we know desperately want to look svelte in their swimsuit and not bulgy in a bikini? Nothing fits the bill better than a bouquet of flowers and especially at Easter when spring flowers abound and if you want to go for the traditional, you can send white lilies signifying purity and new birth. As always I find the best flowers come from Cosmea Gardens.  Feel free to use coupon “savethiseaster” on checkout and save 10% with a minimum order of 50Eur excluding shipping. It expires the 16th of April. I’ve never had cause to complain about the quality and condition of the blooms they’ve delivered and their flowers last for weeks; a benefit of them using only the freshest cut flowers in their arrangements. They might be a little more expensive than some but when a gift is important for the message it sends, a couple of euros extra is well worth it for the quality. So this Easter, if you need to send a gift to a horizontally challenged friend or relative, be a thoughtful person and send them flowers that will add considerably to their impressions of you and not their waistline!

Although the weather is noticeably cooler, I can’t believe it’s nearly Christmas, so it’s time for some tips on how to make your home look effortlessly festive.

I love poinsettia plants and although there’s a myriad of colours to choose from these days, I still love the ones with the red bracts. You can spice them up by putting them in a festive looking container or simply get a terracotta pot, paint it green and then when dry, daub some wood glue in patterns such as bells, snowflakes or Christmas trees around it and press on some contrasting glitter. Don’t forget to bung up the drainage hole before putting the plant in it or you’ll have a soggy mess on your table!

If you want to keep the pot plain, then a quick squirt of spray-on glue over the leaves, followed by a dusting of silver glitter gives an instant effect.

If you can get hold of any evergreen foliage, it doesn’t have to be holly or ivy, make up a wreath by intertwining the stems and tie in red or gold ribbon in bows, add small Christmas decorations or small sprayed pine cones – there are hundreds in Cyprus at the moment – then hang it on your door or over a fireplace.

Finally, if you can’t afford one of the really expensive real Christmas trees this year which, to be honest, won’t survive long in the Cypriot climate, buy an Araucaria, otherwise known as a Norfolk Island Pine, which looks exotically similar and which will grace your garden afterwards. A 1.2 metre specimen in a pot can be bought for around 20 euros, less than half the equivalent for a Norwegian Spruce. Check out Cosmea Gardens for their range of festive plants and have a Plant-astic Christmas this year.

I was feeling a bit low for a week or so and I think it’s because it’s autumn, even in Cyprus, and the days are getting shorter, the weather’s unsettled and the temperatures have dropped considerably – but should I really be that depressed about it all?

We’ve got plenty of friends back in the UK who’ve said that the constant rain, gale force winds and even darker days are making them miserable and when I look out of the window, I now feel a little ashamed. For here in Cyprus, now is the time when you can get out and see the island without being exhausted by the heat or dripping with perspiration. There are still many sunny days and warm evenings and if it does rain, it’s all over in minutes and the sun shines again.

My guilt came out in talking to my parents who hadn’t been out of their flat in days because the weather was so bad. They’d decided to live off the food in their freezer and sit in and watch TV, shutting the world and the weather out. It would be cruel to describe our sunny, warm but very windy day to them and so I decided to send them a bit of sunshine in a bouquet of flowers from Cosmea Gardens.

I’m a great believer that flowers lift even the darkest of moods and they really appreciated the thought, only I then got to thinking – wasn’t I the one that was feeling low? Again, part of the joy of sending flowers is in the giving and seeing the look on the faces of those receiving them, and after all, I’ve still got sunshine so perhaps I should count my blessings!

All summer long I’ve been mesmerised by the sight of trees on the road past Coral Bay outside Paphos which have bright green frond-like leaves and vivid scarlet flowers with yellow centres. To say they’re striking is an understatement and I’ve spent ages trying to find out what they are.

I recently holidayed on my second favourite island, Cuba, and saw the same trees there. A local told me that they were called Flame Trees and when I got to a computer I found out that they’re also called the Royal Poinciana and they have been voted into the top five most beautiful trees in the world.

I looked at them in a new light once I’d returned from my holiday and find that each time I pass the tree I’m reminded of my holiday. I got to thinking about flowers that evoke memories and talked to my parents about flowers that brought back memories for them such as Montbretias that remind my dad of his mother and lilac that reminded my mum of her mother. For me, roses always remind me of my wife as they’re her favourite celebration flowers and I’ll be buying some more on Saturday for it’s her birthday. Try thinking about the flowers that bring back memories for others and stir up some with a bouquet from Cosmea Gardens.

I’ve never been in Cyprus in May or June before so this year is a new experience for me. Last weekend my wife and I went over to stay in Ayia Napa for a few days and she kindly drove. This gave me the chance to look around at the countryside, gradually dessicating in the strengthening summer sun but what amazed me was the beautiful sight of the Oleander bushes planted by the Cypriot transport authorities in the central reservation of the motorways.

I’d tried growing an Oleander at home in the UK with no success at all so to see the magnificent display here was breath-taking. It made me think of them as the Cypriot equivalent of the UK’s rhododendron displays.

Now I wondered whether I could do a display of Oleander in the house. I chose a selection of branches from a white and pink Oleander, being careful to wash my hands afterwards as the sap is extremely poisonous. The result was stunning and lasted nearly two weeks. The benefit with Oleander as a cut flower is that it has its own framing greenery, you can just put it in a vase and off you go. Being a semi-hardwood stem, you’ll need to break up the ends first with something heavy but then afterwards you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful display.

I was completely knocked out of the water though by a much simpler and elegant arrangement from my wife who simply took some wasted blooms and put them in a white china cup – so much for the years of study…..!!

if you haven’t got access to any Oleander, you can buy plants cheaply from florists and garden centres such as Cosmea Gardens. Don’t take too much off the plant in the first year though – you don’t want to ruin it!

I find that at times when I’m feeling a bit low, a visit to a florist or garden centre often brightens up my mood and so last weekend after returning from seeing my wife, I called in at Cosmea Gardens to look at all the beautiful plants and flowers they had for sale.

I love the bright colours and the beautiful fragrance of such shops but this time my eye was caught by a plant that seems popular in garden centres all across the island and it’s the Kalanchoe.

I remember them from my youth and their common name of ‘Flaming Katie’ because the only colour you used to be able to get back then was a scarlet red.

On this occasion I was faced with a carpet of nearly every colour you could imagine. White, yellow, pink, purple and the list goes on. I picked out three to go in a basket arrangement and brought them home.

Looking at them brightening up my lounge I was persuaded to find out more about them and so out came the Flower and Plant Encyclopedia.

Before too long I’d found out that they can grow up to 6m high (a little too big for my lounge) and that in some countries they are used as a treatment for hypertension.

I wasn’t sure whether it was just looking at them in their colourful glory made stress disappear or whether I’d have to eat some part of the plant but I though isn’t it amazing that a plant that does so much good, just because it’s bright, cheery and easy to look after, can also restore us with the helpful chemicals it contains.

Last weekend I had to go to my local DIY centre for some wood and even before I’d got close to the door I was struck by the glorious carpet of colour stretching out ahead of me.

The store had just taken delivery of a huge expanse of Poinsettia plants in every shade through from cream to burgundy. The plants were so perfect I didn’t think they were real and they were very good value for money too!

It got me thinking about where such a plant came from and why we buy millions of them at Christmas.

They were originally from Mexico and were mentioned in ancient Aztec writing. They got their name from Joel Poinsett, the first US Minister to Mexico. The Spanish that conquered Mexico called them the Christmas Eve plant or Nocha Buena. Its association with Christmas comes from the shape of the leaf whorl which is in a star shape like the star of Bethlehem. The deep red is to represent Christ’s blood on the cross. Another tradition says the plant’s association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where a young girl was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. The tale goes that the child was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson “blossoms” sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias from the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.

At the end of my road there’s a Poinsettia ‘tree’ that must have been a relic from years gone by. Now about five metres high it’s beginning to display its colourful bracts just in time for the Chrstmas season.

Bring a bright splash of colour into your home this Christmas with a beautiful poinsettia from Cosmea Gardens.

Near where I live is the area known as Sea Caves/St George and it is a beautiful area that is slowly being spoiled by creeping development. For now though it’s an agricultural area that is dotted with pretty villas that overlook the stunning natural scenery.

I love cycling in the area, even though there’s a mile long hill down to the sea which I need to cycle back up at the end of my ride.

Last week I had a bit more time on my hands and spend a little of it exploring the area more thoroughly and was surprised at what grew there. I was able to find avocado trees laden with shiny fruit on long strands like some natural Christmas decoration. Further along there were guava trees with the air surrounding them pungent with the scent of the sweet ripe fruit. Oranges, mandarins, bananas, pomegranates and massive fig trees abuzz with bees and wasps looking for the split fruit spilling their sweet contents. Earlier in the summer there were peach and nectarine trees alight with the golden globes of juicy fruit. As I sat on the cliff edge eating the figs I’d gathered from the roadside I thought how close this must be to what the Garden of Eden was like, fruit in abundance provided as a result of warm sunshine and fresh water. I’ve turned my balcony into a little citrus grove but my exploration made me realise just how much more I could be growing. I’m looking forward to my next visit to Cosmea Gardens to find which other fruit trees I can add to my collection.

My turn to ask readers for help this week! I had an email from a reader who wanted to know the name of a plant she had seen in various commercail premises around Cyprus. It’s a fairly ordinary plant but she had seen it in so many places she became curious about it and now wants to but one. Unfortunately she’s not found it in a garden centre or flower shop and the various people she’s asked about it don’t know its name.

The plant is an evergreen houseplant and has erect stems with opposite pairs of disc shaped leaves decreasing in size as they go along the stem. The tallest she’s seen it is about 60cm. It seems to need little attention apart from the odd bit of water and leaf shine.

Can anyone help? If we can find out what it is I think there’ll be a rush on at garden centres and florists such as Cosmea Gardens from people desperate to get hold of a specimen.

I’ll await your replies!!