A love as rare as Voodoo lilies in the north
The Annlin couple planted the lily’s seeds three years ago and it bloomed for the first time this week.
A rare flower has recently bloomed for the first time in three years north of Pretoria.
Willie (72) and his wife Nellie (73) Nel, owners of the amorphophallus bulbifer or Voodoo lily, said they felt blessed to see the rare plant reveal its pretty pink flower this week.
The couple from Annlin said they planted the lily’s seeds three years ago.
“Each summer the plant would grow, but it did not bloom until about a week ago,” Nellie explained.
“Every year the plant bore only leaves, so it was strange yet special to see this small pink bulb rising out of the soil.”
One sunny morning, Nellie said the flower had opened into the “biggest lily” she had ever seen.
The Voodoo lily takes about a year to mature, but even then it doesn’t bloom every year.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Noord-vrou met groen vingers spog met sonneblom-reus
Compared to others of its genus, this lily’s smell is not too unpleasant and goes away after a few hours when it opens.
Nellie and Willie had also noticed the characteristic way in which the plant grows only in summer and goes dormant in winter.
Willie said it was important to keep the soil dry in winter and only water it during its growing period.
The amorphophallus enjoys shade and temperatures in the low 30’s as it originates from warm areas like the Himalayas, India and Burma.
The Nel couple said they were quite proud to witness their plant’s first blooming period.
“It takes patience and love, like many other things do,” said Willie, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulder and hugging her lovingly.
The couple got married nine years ago after the death of Nellie’s first husband.
ALSO READ: Jacarandas, hopefully for another hundred years
“We’re still young and very much in love,” said Willie and the couple laughed.
“We’ve shared so many happy years, but also a few tough times – but that’s what makes a relationship stronger.”
The couple compared their love for one another like the Voodoo lily – the prettiest of all lilies.
But unlike the flower, their love would never go dormant.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
