Snowmageddon. Ice Tsunami. Winds of up to 110km (70 miles) an hour. Seventy vehicle pileups North of Toronto, and the US National Guard rescuing 600 stranded motorists in South Minnesota. We live with these headlines...because it's Winter.
Snowmageddon is one mother of a snowstorm, dumping waist deep snow on your doorstep in one wild day...and then, another one, and another one! In high winds, an ice tsunami moves blocks of ice off lakes and rivers, piling the ice up on the shoreline, to form a towering wall.
Those who've been brave enough to venture out in the February deep freeze, have discovered brightly coloured freesias popping up in florist shops, and grocery stores. Spring is not far away!
Snowmageddon is one mother of a snowstorm, dumping waist deep snow on your doorstep in one wild day...and then, another one, and another one! In high winds, an ice tsunami moves blocks of ice off lakes and rivers, piling the ice up on the shoreline, to form a towering wall.
Those who've been brave enough to venture out in the February deep freeze, have discovered brightly coloured freesias popping up in florist shops, and grocery stores. Spring is not far away!
In Africa, where freesias grow from South Sudan, through Kenya into South Africa, the landscape is painted with bright yellow, orange, red, pink, lavender, cream and white freesia flowers. Discovered in 1830 in the Cape Colony of South Africa, freesias are called Cape Lily of the Valley. The plant is named after Dr. Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese, a medical doctor with a passion for botany.
Grown predominantly in the Netherlands, freesias are most popular in Holland, Germany, Belgium, and Scandanavia. A flower which is at once both innocent and sophisticated, freesias look great in a fresh Spring arrangement, or a classic white bridal bouquet. Florists love working with these versatile, long stemmed flowers. The crocus-shaped blossoms have cascading buds resembling grape clusters. They snuggle in with roses, tulips, and ranunculus.
Perfumers say that freesias are high in linalool, which emits "a fresh, woody scent with subtle citrusy-terpenic notes." Although the word "peppery" is frequently used, I would describe freesias as having a lemony vanilla fragrance. All too often, freesias - with the exception of the yellow ones - have no scent at all.
A store bought bouquet of Freesias may only last a week, while Canadian Winters take an eternity...except this year! The latest prognostication is for an early Spring, and a warmer than usual April. That's cause for celebration...and a bouquet of freesias!
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
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