Seven years ago this month I took Amtrack’s Sunset Limited train from New Orleans to Los Angeles for the birth of our granddaughter, Maggie Rose. As the train pulled in to LA I saw several beautiful lavender flowering trees. What were they? Certainly not Crepe Myrtles – those grow here, and I know them well. This (new to me) tree was the dimensions of a young oak or maple – full girth and height.
As we waited for Maggie’s birth, DD and DSIL showed me the attractions of LA, including the la Brea tar pits. There, at the edge of the parking lot, was a whole row of lavender flowering trees. DSIL is an MIT-educated rocket scientist. Identification of west coast flora is not his specialty. DD grew up, well, most places except the west coast. She’d not seen them before, either.
Fast forward to our Disney World vacation this month. As we entered Epcot, I spied two rows of lavender flowering tree framing Spaceship Earth (the big silver ball). That’s the tree! That’s the tree I saw on Maggie’s birth trip! I asked the ticket takers “What’s the name of that tree?” They admired it with me, but didn’t know.
We asked the guest relations cast member who was passing out schedules near the entrance. He didn’t know, admired the tree with me, and directed me to a gardening pavilion. Wonderful! Terrible – it was only open on weekends. Boo!
Those of you who know the determination of this knitter know the quest didn’t end there. After all, the Annual International Garden Show at Epcot was in progress: someone must know! We inquired at the master gardener’s kiosk near the dancing fountain. The lady staffing it was nice, admired the trees with me (by now, I was showing people close-up photos on my digital camera), and said she didn’t know. le sigh! But, if we could come back before they closed at 5 pm, she would find someone who knew. Alas, it got busy, and we were a long walk away from the kiosk at 5 pm.
The next day we returned to Epcot I was determined to try again. We found a different lady staffing the master gardener’s kiosk. Picture shown, admired, not recognized…you know the drill. Yet, as we were exchanging regrets, another lady arrived. She was a horticulturalist from one of the Florida Universities, and she knew right away the tree I’d been seeking. “It’s a Jacaranda, the Mimosa variety.”
Yippee! I had visions of lavender flowers on my lakeshore. Alas, we live about a zone and a half too far North for the Jacaranda. At least my quest had been successful.