Upon our shores they stepped, a vibrant, alien throng, Lured by the keen collector's eye, and gardens wide and long. From distant lands they journeyed, on ships across the foam, To grace our verdant tapestry, and find a new-found home. The lilac's fragrant purple, a heady, sweet perfume, From Persian hills it travelled, to banish winter's gloom. Laburnum's golden chains descend, a dazzling, toxic grace, From Alpine slopes it wandered, to find this welcoming place. The sumac's fiery autumn, a blaze of red so bold, From North America's forests, a story to unfold. The redwood, giant sequoia, in California's sun, A towering ambition, its mighty race begun In English parkland, reaching for a less familiar sky. The monkey puzzle, ancient form, where winds Patagonian fly, A prickly, strange enigma, a living fossil brought, To spark the curious wonder, and challenge what was thought Of native form and habit. And others came as well, With colours strange and habits new, their alien tales to tell. Some thrived in gentle climates, and donned a vibrant hue, While others, frail and tender, could not their strength renew Against the chilling dampness, the grey and leaden skies, And faded from our gardens, beneath unwelcoming eyes. A testament to beauty, and nature's fickle hand, These foreign wonders scattered, across our island land.
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