COPYRIGHT HELEN WOOD AND SWANLEY HISTORY GROUP
A family memory from the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
At the time of the last coronation my Uncle Les was working in an insurance office in Chancery Lane in central London. His company put pots of hydrangeas outside their offices as part of the celebrations. He was a keen gardener and on hearing that the plants were going to be thrown away after the coronation he hid them away. He then brought one home each night on the train and distributed them around the family.
He moved to Sussex in 1970 and some of the plants went with him. When his son David moved to Tenby he took some cuttings from the plants and successfully grew them in his new home.
At his mother’s 90th birthday party in 2013 David gave a hydrangea cutting from his plant to each of her grandchildren and one to my parents.
Two years ago l took a cutting from my parents’ hydrangea and planted in a pot in the hope that it would bloom in time for the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation. Although it has grown a few leaves just above the soil of the pot it shows no signs of flowering (see first picture).
Last year l took another cutting from my parents’ hydrangea and kept it indoors in a vase of water until it had grown roots. I planted it in a pot last July and put it out in the garden. It frazzled in the heat wave so l dug it up and have kept it indoors in the vase of water (see second picture).
I plan to plant the second cutting in my garden when the night’s are frost free.
Maybe l will have to be more patient and encourage it to flower for the coronation of King William V.
Helen Wood
Photos and text are Copyright Helen Wood and Swanley History Group
and should not be copied or shared without permission
N.B The plant is now apparently flourishing.
A family memory from the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
At the time of the last coronation my Uncle Les was working in an insurance office in Chancery Lane in central London. His company put pots of hydrangeas outside their offices as part of the celebrations. He was a keen gardener and on hearing that the plants were going to be thrown away after the coronation he hid them away. He then brought one home each night on the train and distributed them around the family.
He moved to Sussex in 1970 and some of the plants went with him. When his son David moved to Tenby he took some cuttings from the plants and successfully grew them in his new home.
At his mother’s 90th birthday party in 2013 David gave a hydrangea cutting from his plant to each of her grandchildren and one to my parents.
Two years ago l took a cutting from my parents’ hydrangea and planted in a pot in the hope that it would bloom in time for the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation. Although it has grown a few leaves just above the soil of the pot it shows no signs of flowering (see first picture).
Last year l took another cutting from my parents’ hydrangea and kept it indoors in a vase of water until it had grown roots. I planted it in a pot last July and put it out in the garden. It frazzled in the heat wave so l dug it up and have kept it indoors in the vase of water (see second picture).
I plan to plant the second cutting in my garden when the night’s are frost free.
Maybe l will have to be more patient and encourage it to flower for the coronation of King William V.
Helen Wood
Photos and text are Copyright Helen Wood and Swanley History Group
and should not be copied or shared without permission
N.B The plant is now apparently flourishing.