The Quiet Bloom of Cho Vlyjo.

My mother, father, James, and I are out in the back garden at my family home. It’s a beautiful day, blue sky, 23°C, and a light breeze.

Both my parents are avid gardeners. My mother focuses on the vegetables, orchard, and herbs and spices, whereas my father enjoys his ornamental flower beds, trees, and flowering bushes.

His pride and joy is one particular bush called Cho Vlyjo, roughly translated as “The Bride” due to its delicate white flowers, which have been used in decorating Trill weddings for centuries.

Cho Vlyjo can be extremely particular about where it grows. There are multiple factors that must be taken into account for it to flourish and flower, and in this case, my father has done well, as this one has bloomed in abundance for sixteen years.