'Mother Ede Upītis'
A snow-white tribute to Pēteris Upītis' mother.
Pēteris Upītis has dedicated several varieties of lilac to people close to him. In gratitude and love for his mother, he has created one of the most beautiful varieties of white lilac, naming it after her – 'Mother Ede Upītis'.
Brother Augusts remembers that his mother and Pēteris spent their lives together until her last hour. Everything was forgiven, and all things turned out for the better. Many have said that Upīša's mother had a delicate sense of beauty. There was always room for a few flowering plants in her garden. If she brought someone a pretzel, she decorated it with a flower. Whether it was a cookie or a piece of pig's entrails - it was always beautifully wrapped, with a flower on top. In the white winter, the package was decorated with a green spruce branch. When the children wore festive clothes, their mother said: "Good clothes must be worn neatly!", meaning by that solid behavior in public. Pēteris valued his mother above all else. When passing by his mother's white lilac, he always took off his hat and bowed, thus honoring his mother. The white, abundantly blooming lilac is a wonderful monument dedicated to a highly respected woman of strong character – a mother.
Pēteris Upītis's contemporaries remember that the master always gifted women with this white lilac variety, adding: "Not "Upīte", but "Upītis"!" Pēteris Upītis also dedicated the following lines of poetry to his mother: "And all the flowers that I did not manage to give you back, I will gather in the garden, so that the lilac blossoms will flourish. When they touch the warm earth, you will feel them, dear mother."
