A native of China, the mimosa tree is considered by some to be a pest. It seems to reproduce quite readily, and when the flowers begin to fade and drop, they can create a real mess. However, I have a soft spot in my heart for the mimosa tree, a fondness which dates back to childhood.
My grandparents, Grancy and Poosie, had a large mimosa tree in their front yard, right in the corner between the driveway and the sidewalk. When it became large enough for us kids to climb on, it also became a gathering place for important family events.
Each summer my Kisamore cousins would drive to Arkansas from Baltimore for a lengthy visit. As the time drew near for their arrival, the Arkansas cousins would gather in the mimosa tree, craning our necks and concentrating on Highway 24 to see who could be the first to spot their car. This was long before the first cell phone, so the wait was often several hours.
On other occasions, we watched impatiently for Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe to return from the state adoption agency in Little Rock with the newest cousin that would be added to our family. Aunt Mary now lives in Grancy's and Poosie's house, but the mimosa tree is long gone. I'm not sure whether it died or simply got too large and was cut down, but nevertheless each year when the mimosas begin their show of pink, I think back to those childhood days, and I smile.
23 comments:
Lovely pinks! Happy Pink Saturday!!
Enjoyed this post! I have fond memories of mimosa trees, too, and when I see them blooming this time of year here in Texas, it brings them all back. One of my most vivid memories is of the mimosa in our backyard in Little Rock. When I was about nine or ten, on the first morning of summer vacation, I climbed into the tree with a good book and a fresh peach. From that perch, I could evade my younger siblings, enjoy my book and my snack, and smell the intoxicating scent of the mimosa blossoms. Heaven!
Funny how trees hold memories...my sis and I like to remember the great talks we had in our grandparents huge huge oak tree.
Have a nice weekend!
Happy Pink Saturday!
What an interesting post!
~ Gabriela ~
That's my mothers favorite tree! I love their smell, their beauty! I need to plant one!
Wow, Such lovely pinks. What a beautiful Pink Saturday Post.
Have a lovely weekend.
Cathy
Hi KBeau!
I'm almost relieved to hear that you've been too busy to blog. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Somehow hearing you say it makes me feel LESS guilty about my own scarcity in blogland since my Costa Rica trip.
Finishing up the school year required ALL the energy I had.
To answer your question about what my future holds - - - I really don't know! I don't plan to do ANYTHING about it until after I've enjoyed the trips that are already in the plan for the summer. When I get home I'll "face the music" so to speak.
I'm sure I'll talk about it over on my blog as it happens.
Thanks for asking.
We have more than our share of Mimosas around here. They are so pretty to look at when in bloom but you're right, they do make a mess.
Sherry @ A Happy Valentine
Brings back memories.....mom use to complain about the tree dropping flowers all over the car/ha
What a pretty pink and a nice story!
Happy PS!
Maggie@
Do These shoes match this purse?
Just precious!
I'm still visiting around for Pink Saturday. Have a wonderful week.
This blog post showed up on my Squidoo lens about the Mimosa Tree and I am glad it did. I enjoyed reading about your memories. I sure have fond memories of spending many hours in the tire swing that hung from ours.
My grandmother Barnes had a wonderful mimosa in her yard. I loved it and I loved the flowers. The worst thing about that tree was that as it aged and the branches grew heavier, the weight of the branches caused them to split the trunk. I think it finally killed itself. :-(
I'm still working my way through PS posts. I'm glad I found yours. It is terrific!
Kathy, I love Silk Trees (Momosia), we had one in our yard in south Ca. Love the delicate flowers and the soft leave that form an umbrella shape. Thank you for sharing about your tree. Still making PS rounds.
Very sweet post. I don't think I have ever seen one in person. Your photos are wonderful.
While I used to enjoy them, I now find myself trying to eradicate them. On the way to Hot Springs the other day, I noticed an area where they have literally taken over...amazing! I do have to agree that they are pretty while blooming. Enjoy your grandmother time in AR. We're headed to the beach...wish us good luck!
We didn't have mimosa trees out west in New Mexico... Cottonwoods are all I remember. We used to climb them at my grandparents' house and often get stuck "way high up." In reality, it wasn't high at all, but as kids, I know we thought we needed to call the fire department! Thanks for sharing your memory and rekindling mine.
hugs, Sue
Those trees are so pretty, Kathy. I never knew what they were called until now...Christine
And the smell is divine! We were on the lake late Saturday afternoon and the mimosa trees just hang over and the smell was just fantastic! Between the mimosa's and the honeysuckle, I was in heaven!
Lovely post!
Lou Cinda :)
We had them in our yard when I was growing up, but they were finally cut down because of all of the mess they caused. We did a lot of climbing in them too. Fun memories. laurie
At our old house in Dallas, we had this enormous mimosa tree in the center of the front yard. Dad cussed it a lot because he had to clean up the mess, but we loved it. It had kid-friendly branches for climbing, and made a perfect spot to hang out and observe the neighborhood, undetected. I loved it and have wanted one ever since, just never have had the chance to plant one.
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