Fake tree, real flowers
(Flower arranging in Jing Shan Park: Beijing, China)
After our jaunt in the Forbidden City, we crossed the road to end up in Jing Shan Park. Mum, Jane and I wandered over to where these gardeners were working to have a sneaky peek at what was being planted. We were also interested in the trees, which seemed to be very oddly shaped indeed. They turned out not to be trees at all – they are metal planters. Each ‘branch’ is a mesh holding a set of standard sized plant pots, each containing a modest flowering plant. But put all these miniature plants together in the man made branch of a metal tree and voila! You have a beautiful tree, constantly in bloom all year round – as long as somebody remembers to vary the plants each season. You can maybe just make out the pots on the left hand tree, right at the top. They’ve done a good job concealing them so they’re very difficult to spot.
We also noticed a wealth of flowers at Tiger Hill in Suzhou, even though elsewhere Spring was moving very slowly. Well, to be honest, it never materialised at all. Just now the weather is doing the same swing from a 30 degree summer to 10 degree winter daily (today it’s about 18 degrees – perhaps today is spring). At Tiger Hill, it was obviously noted that no plants were budding, so they brought in rows and rows of potted tulips, pansies and all manner of other vivid colours to line the pathways. The effect was superb, coupled with the amazing sunshine that day, it made the whole place illuminate with striking colour. Tiger Hill has its own tea plantation, would you believe. Ying, my family and me stopped there for some time sampling the freshly cooked green tea, picked that day. Only in China…
Since there always seems to be confusion with where I am, from now on at the end of each post, I will tell you my location and what I am doing that day. Like so:
– Today Rosie is working in Suzhou, China –
