Rare Moonflower

Moonflower gets it's name from the fact that it blooms in the evening. It's quite a rare thing to see, as they only flower once a year when they're doing well and the blooms only last a few hours before they died. You know a flower is about to open when you can start smelling the scent. The intoxicating scent gets stronger as the flower opens bigger and wider.

I consider myself lucky as I've seen the rare Moonlower bloomed twice. The first one was seven years ago and the last one was a few weeks ago. Not surprising, really, as PIL own a Moonflower plant. It was a present from a fellow expat who brought it back from Singapore.

PIL always host "Moonflower party" everytime the bloom is out. I remembered them knocking on the neighbours doors and ringing up everyone in their gardening club whenever the flower bloomed. They said the plant always flower everytime there's a great thing happening in the family. There were three flowers in 2002, that was the year we got married and came back to England. Last year there wasn't any flower, nor did the year before. This year there was one, so the plant must have loved us coming back to England (again)! :) Must be a good thing then, since this time I don't really like being back here...