I recall walking through a car park somewhere in Pretoria and wondering what all the most magnificent pink trees were. Roll the camera down the time valley to now, today, and I am so aware of what those pink trees are, Kapok trees, as most people know them.
Somewhere, somehow, I came across a seed pod and decided to see if I could grow them. Result was something like 50 or more, I can’t quite recall, successful baby trees. I nursed them to teenagerhood and then sold most of them, giving the proceeds to the local animal society.
Of course, there were about 15 trees that I had not sold and had grown bored with the effort and so decided that it might be easier to simply plant them in and around our house, which I did, and now they are all quite large pink trees and yes, still so magnificent. However, maturity has entered the scene, and these trees are now producing seed pods galore. No! I am not going to begin another round of growing and selling these trees.
I had been selling property in Pretoria and walking down one of the streets doing my ‘drops’ I came across a huge tree in a garden, and it was filled with ‘cotton wool balls’, or so it seemed. Totally intrigued I packed the vision away in the back of my already too full mind for further investigation where, naturally, it remained for years until I had discovered the Kapok tree and realized that was the same tree in different states of development. One of my trees grew incredibly fast with thick trunk and very tall. About two years from planting at just over a meter tall to this amazing huge tree. Then a storm arrived that blew it down together with a huge Blue Gum tree. I was heartbroken and so sickened that I simply ignored it. I sawed off the length and left the huge base where it was and to my amazement, in no time I noticed branches coming out. Perhaps I am really a crazy gardener, but it seemed to say, ‘don’t worry, I’m back’. Indeed, it is. Now four branches are thick and strong and extremely high producing beautiful flowers and seed pods. This in about 15 years. It has, which is a particular feature of the tree, huge thorns protruding out of the trunk.
I have a story to tell about those thorns; years ago, we received some visitors from UK who questioned these thorns and the purpose of them. My grandson told them that it was a bird catching tree and that the birds would fly against the thorns and become impaled. It was several years later that I heard this story and felt bad that they had gone back home thinking about that and no doubt blaming me for the cruel collaboration.
| Silky floss | In the pods |
|---|---|
Here are some pictures of my gorgeous trees, which I might add all grow in their own way. Some tall, some small.
