There are two North American Liquidambar styraciflua on the property - one still has alot of green - the other's now lost most of its glorious autumn foliage, leaving drifts and carpets...
Their common name here is Sweetgum. My mother, who grew up poor in Mississippi, told me she was taught to use a small Sweetgum twig, smashed at one end, as a toothbrush. I suppose this was a practice from the frontier days in eastern North America.
Hello Faisal: Liquidambar, one of the loveliest of trees,in our view, for autumn colour. Once, many years ago, we planted a young specimen in our Herefordshire garden but, unfortunately, we never able to see it in its maturity.
James - that other world of making-do was much more resourceful, and surely did it tougher than us. I bet those twigs kept her teeth as clean as any product we've invented since.
CR - the same thing happens to me, and the sense of smell is the one we seem to forget, and can yet be the most powerful.
Jane and Lance - I believe you had quite a wonderful garden in Herefordshire - do you miss it now your life is more cosmopolitan, and are you going to post pictures of it? I'd love to see them.
duh I had a panic attack there for a moment when you were talking about autumn! couldnt work out where summer went until I rmembered where you live! duh
Their common name here is Sweetgum. My mother, who grew up poor in Mississippi, told me she was taught to use a small Sweetgum twig, smashed at one end, as a toothbrush. I suppose this was a practice from the frontier days in eastern North America.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing what a photo can evoke..I was scrolling down and all of a sudden I could smell (memory smell) those leaves!
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
Hello Faisal:
ReplyDeleteLiquidambar, one of the loveliest of trees,in our view, for autumn colour. Once, many years ago, we planted a young specimen in our Herefordshire garden but, unfortunately, we never able to see it in its maturity.
James - that other world of making-do was much more resourceful, and surely did it tougher than us. I bet those twigs kept her teeth as clean as any product we've invented since.
ReplyDeleteCR - the same thing happens to me, and the sense of smell is the one we seem to forget, and can yet be the most powerful.
Jane and Lance - I believe you had quite a wonderful garden in Herefordshire - do you miss it now your life is more cosmopolitan, and are you going to post pictures of it? I'd love to see them.
duh
ReplyDeleteI had a panic attack there for a moment when you were talking about autumn!
couldnt work out where summer went until I rmembered where you live!
duh