Pineapple’s warm welcome – by Diane Morey Sitton

When Christopher Columbus encountered pineapples in the West Indies in 1493, no one could have predicted that the spiky-skinned, pine cone-shaped fruit that he dubbed pina de Indes (pine of the Indies) would someday become a universal symbol of welcome and hospitality adorning fences, decorating gates, accenting gardens, beautifying building and embellishing all manner of household goods including trays, trivets and assorted trinkets.

But indeed, it’s official. Pineapple’s centuries-old association with a warm welcome was so well established that in their 2009 handbook the hospitality industry named it the “universal symbol” for hospitality.

But pineapple’s rise to fame didn’t happen overnight.

Legend has it that when early sea captains returned from Caribbean voyages they would display a pineapple on a gate post. These hard-to-come-by, hard-to-transport tropical trophies were an invitation to visit and hear tales of their journeys to far-off lands.

On the other hand, historians connect Columbus’s beloved pineapples with European aristocrats and royalty. They claim that the advent of glass greenhouses with heating systems enabled wealthy Europeans to grow the tropical fruit. Hence, pineapples became a luxury associated with wealth, status and hospitality.

One way or the other, today, most gardeners care more about displaying pineapple effigies than about peeling through the layers of pineapple’s past.

To extend your own welcome, display a terra cotta, ceramic, or metal pineapple by a front gate or atop a front gatepost. Fly a pineapple-shaped banner, hang a pineapple-themed outdoor picture on a patio, or toss pillows adorned with pineapple motifs onto chairs, swings, and other garden furniture.

In the evening, light pineapple-shaped lanterns to create a welcoming glow on patios and decks. Let small pineapple-shaped string lights twinkle their welcome by draping them from posts, handrails, tree branches and eaves. There are pineapple-shaped weathervanes, planters and pots. The distinctive profile is duplicated on the back of metal chairs. It is cut out from fence boards.

It seems fitting that a fruit described by Christopher Columbus as, “the most delicious fruit in the world” would someday become a hospitality mainstay. You can’t help but wonder how surprised he would be to see pineapple art gracing gardens in Texas and elsewhere!