‘Good Hope’ Clivia

The stork arrived: the ‘Good Hope’ Clivia was delivered yesterday, in good condition, with a little leaf tip browning, but otherwise sound. I’m so stoked.

I started Dr. Jill Bolte’s Taylor’s ‘My Stroke of Insight’ last night. This looks like it’s going to be a good read.

I might have mentioned this about a million times before: the South Africa native, tuberous, perennial Clivia Miniata is probably my favorite flowering plant in the universe. But after a long obsession with it, I let it fall away. Recently, I’m feeling starved for Clivia again, and since I’ve moved away from the shoreline, where all good things reside, I haven’t had access to a good nursery that sells them.

So last week, my husband gave me his debit card to order a Clivia from Hirt’s, one of my favorite online garden suppliers. And yesterday, my new ‘Good Hope’ yellow Clivia arrived!

You can see in the photo that there’s a little leaf tip browning, but other than that, and the fact that it was squished in the shipping box, it’s in good condition. Yellow Clivias are rarer and hence, more expensive than the orange. But the prices on yellows has gone down since the days of my addiction, and this plant cost only $18.99 plus $5 shipping. Back in the day, this plant would have cost $50 or more.

It’s root system is damp, so I placed it in a bright window last night in order to dry out for a week or so. Then, believe it or not, it goes into our basement to sit in stasis with no water, food, warmth, or light for 8 weeks. At the 8-week mark, I’ll bring it out of hibernation, place it in a bright window, water it deeply, and give it a thorough feeding.

If all goes well, a fat scape will emerge from its base, and following that, it will flower. I’ll pollinate stamens to stigmas, and after the blooms fade, collect its seeds, and cultivate clones of this parent plant. To say that I’m excited for this is an understatement. I’m feeling all the wonder and anticipation that drew me to this exotic plant years ago. There can be no doubt that I’m a plant geek.

Last night, I started a new book that I’m very excited about. Dr. Jill Bolte’s Taylor’s ‘My Stroke of Insight’ is a personal account of this young, brilliant brain scientist’s experience with a massive stroke at the age of 36. In it, she relates the usual fear and pain associated with such an illness, but also her discovery of the workings of the brain in the wake of such an event. 

Taylor discovered that when the analytic, logical and reasoning part of her brain shut down as a result of this left hemisphere hemorrhage, and she could no longer speak, move, or walk, after she lost all of her memories of life before the stroke, she experienced something amazing. The “brain chatter” went quiet. The illusion of individuality – the ego – that everyone clings to as ‘I’, disappeared. Consciousness without thought. Peace, expansion, and ease. A life-changing awakening.

It took eight years for her to recover from the stroke. The book she wrote tells the story of this stroke and subsequent awakening from a scientist’s, analyst’s, and realist’s perspective. It tells a story of a state of consciousness. An extraordinary circumstance. It explores the architecture of the human brain. I’ve heard great things about this book. I’m looking forward to getting deeper into it this weekend.

Live in peace.