The blush pink blossom of Prunus 'Awanui' is out at present, defying the changeable weather and delighting me with its ephemeral beauty - rather romanticised by my treatment of this image.
This lovely flowering cherry was selected by New Zealander Keith Adams who found it amongst a collection of cherries he had planted on his land. At the time he ran a nursery, and the property was by Awanui Street in New Plymouth, hence the name. It seems to be a robust tree, and has quite horizontal branches, giving it a graceful appearance. It is cloaked with flowers well before the leaves appear. There is a lightness about the tree in blossom even though the flowering is profuse.
As the linked article describes, Keith Adams has lived a very full and interesting life. In contrast to the delicacy of the cherry blossom he discovered is the image of his expeditions to find tropical rhododendrons (Vireyas) in dense jungles. This reflected his love of the plants and, it would seem, his adventurous nature. In the article he is described as asserting a principled attitude to collecting - taking seed or cuttings only and definitely not taking the plant. Admirable, I think. Desecration of plant populations has been a legacy of some plant collectors.
For me the pleasure of seeing this lovely tree is somehow enhanced by the unexpected associations conjured up by reading about its discoverer.