Laburnum - 'Golden Rain' or 'Golden Chain' trees
Yesterday evening, and again this morning, I went for walks around the old cemetery, and noticed that it's "golden rain" time... The first two photos taken with my mobile yesterday; today I brought my camera and took some more.
We used to have a whole hedge of these at 'the House', i.e. where my grandparents lived when I was little, and later my parents in their retirement years. The current owners have removed them all, I noticed when passing by there a year or two after we sold the place... I've known 'all my life' that these trees are poisonous - I was probably told so very early on in childhood, but I can't remember any incidents (like actually trying to eat the seeds). But they are really beautiful when in bloom, and seeing them elsewhere now (like in this cemetery) always brings out a bit of nostalgia (or memories).
This week, seeing the Golden Rain trees in bloom also helped to remind me that it's 10 years today since my dad died - 18 June 2011. He and mum are buried in the village where they lived. As I don't have a car, and with the corona situation and all, it's been a couple of years now since I last visited the churchyard there. But we have their grave tended to, and that of my grandparents' as well. My personal memories of family and friends who have passed on are not primarily connected to their final resting place, though; but more to all those little things that trigger memories of them alive - like for example now a tree reminding of where they used to live.
7 comments:
It is sure beautiful. I have never seen one, and am wondering if we even have them in this country. I can only imagine the memories they must bring back. I hope most of them are happy.
What a shame the trees are no longer there, I almost thought the yellow flowers were Kowhai.
You know we call it Goldregen (golden rain) in German, too. I have always loved it, and like you, always knew that it is poisonous without any definite incident coming to mind.
Now that I see your beautiful photos, I notice that there aren't any Goldregen around my immediate neighbourhood; when did I last see one? I honestly can't remember!
The people who mattered to me in my life and are gone are also mostly remembered by many other things, not by where they (or their ashes) are buried.
Ginny, that house (and garden) was in our family all my life (until 2014). As I never lived there all year round myself, most of my memories from there are connected with summer, though.
Amy, the garden had been rather neglected for many years by the time we sold the place. The new owners probably had good reasons for wanting a fresh start. (And as golden rain is poisonous, I can also understand why a young couple starting a new family might not want them - even if a couple of previous generations survived them!)
Meike, in Swedish it's 'gullregn', also the same word. I'm not sure I ever had reason to look up the German word for it, though. Come to think of it, my German vocabulary when it comes to details like names of trees and plants (and other aspects of Nature) probably leaves a lot to be desired (even if sometimes I might dare try a guess based on Swedish/ English). In English, blogging has taught me a lot I did not know before - and I find Wikipedia very useful in many cases where an ordinary dictionary is not of much help! :)
The tree is beautiful and we have a Golden Rain tree in our front yard but it's not like this ours is a member of the Jacaranda and it does have Golden Rain flowers but they're not like these their pods. These trees are just gorgeous and here most of the trees and bushes are poisonous in jest if ingested and some of them are poisonous even if you burn them and smells of smoke. What people failed to do now is to teach their children don't touch and don't eat plants unless you know you're supposed to
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