Every year, around this time, I start suffering from a strange condition. At first I didn't recognise the signs. But I think I've figured out what it is.
I call it Frangipani Envy.
I'm not sure if anybody else suffers from a similar affliction. I find myself driving along the streets of Perth spotting every single frangipani tree in front yards and gardens. In my imagination I've uprooted each one of them and planted them in my own desolate backyard, instantly turning the bare space into an oasis.
The frangipani trees in Perth at this time of year look so beautiful, I love their green dappled shade, how they drop their blossoms on the lawn making it look like a tropical resort and their perfume wafting down the street in the evening as you walk by.
After I admired a frangipani in a friend's backyard last year, he kindly took some cuttings for me. I have planted them, and they are thriving and some are even flowering. It's just that they're only about 40cm tall. Not exactly the arching, shady specimens I admire in others' gardens.
Above is one of my very short specimens. I have five in my garden, but they're not much to look at yet. The yellow and white variety are my favourite because they have the strongest fragrance and the flowers appear to glow at night in the half light.
I will persevere with my frangipani stumps. But I think when we start to makeover the back yard, I might have to spend up and buy myself some semi-mature trees to fill the space. And hopefully cure my annual bout of Frangipani Envy!
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