Harmony, Balance, Hospitality, and Happiness… Sound good? Get an Anthurium!

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

The plant ( anthurium) is composed of two Greek words ” anthos” -flower and ” oura” flowering tail. Today there are over 1000 different types of anthuriums.

You might have seen pictures in the past of my orange anthurium… it almost bit the dust until I removed it from the garden ( a few months ago) and placed it on the front porch where it should have been all the time as it needs indirect light-not direct. It also requires high humidity conditions as it is tropical, along with warm temperatures. ( Perfect Lowcountry summer conditions) And like the pineapple-symbolizes hospitality! The perfect plant for a front porch!

The setting for the story originates in the jungles of Colombia in Central America where these beautiful plants were discovered in the 1850’s by Austrian explorer Karl von Scherzer -so today the species is called ” Anthurium Scherzerianum.”

( This plant is not a flower, in the sense, that it is the leaf that turns different colors and in the middle the ” flowering tail.”)

Mythology reveals that it was the ” flowering tail” that gave rise to Cupid’s arrows-shooting flowers ( not just hearts) as symbols of love.”

The beautiful plant keeps producing more colorful leaves for three month periods … several times a year-so it is hard to find a time when it isn’t ” blooming.”

” Feng Shui” -promotes this plant because of its longevity of colors that cultivates happiness and is said to bring the owner good luck and fortune. ( After I took one picture of the front porch and my blue Gullah Good luck ceiling… ( keeps the haints away) … I feel like I have covered all my abundance of ” fortune and happiness ” bases.

So until tomorrow… Isn’t it fun discovering , once again, how nature helps man with his lifelong quest …finding peace and harmony?

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

Still no bloom from my moonflowers but they have climbed to the top of the trellis and have attached themselves to the camellia tree branches-can hardly wait for them to bloom!!!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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2 Responses to Harmony, Balance, Hospitality, and Happiness… Sound good? Get an Anthurium!

  1. Rachel Edwards says:
    July 24, 2022 at 7:30 am

    I noticed all of your pretty flowers on your porch when Ruthie and I dropped over…so good to see you and catch up…loved the entry today …so interesting.

    Reply

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