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So, I'm thinking about flowers. Yes, flowers. Mom loved her violets. Does anyone else recall that she wanted to grow orchids? Can't imagine that--I think they are really delicate and require very particular care. But somehow I could see Mom in a greenhouse.
Dad and his garden with the zinnias and marigolds. I still really like both of those. They look so colorful. They appear to be sturdy but are actually kind of delicate too. Dad also grew gladiolas. I can remember seeing glads sold on the side of the road in Florida--other places too of course, but I connect them with Florida. Some people don't really like them because they consider them funeral flowers. I never thought of them that way. I have grown them too but not lately. I loved the blooms but hated seeing them all slumped over all the time and I could never get the bulbs to stay healthy over the winter.
Dad also like to have his roses. I never never have had good luck with roses. Mostly because I can't pay enough attention to them.
Paula reminded me today to think about wildflowers too. I recall Devil's Paintbrushes and Queen Anne's Lace (did you know Queen Anne's Lace is an ancestor to the carrot??). Paula also mentioned Jack in the Pulpits from the woods--these are now protected I think because they are endangered. I have always loved the white flowering shrubs that were in front of the house. I'm trying to grow one here now but it isn't taking off too well just yet. Weren't there alot of them in front of that Dennison Road house?
Lilacs always remind me of Mary Jane--well, the smell of lilacs makes me thing of Mary Jane. Probably because they bloom in May.
Spring flowers are my favorite--especially tulips. One of these days, I'll be able to take good care of a large garden of tulips and spring flowers.
See, there 's quite a bit to recall about flowers--you didn't think so, did you? How about you? What do you have to say about flowers in your life?
1 comment:
Well, Patty Anne and I did talk about flowers over the weekend. Mom and Dad both had green thumbs. Mom loved her violets, both the kind that grow wild, and the African violets that I still tend to. I also remember Black-Eyed Susans. They remind me Of Mary Jane because she stopped on the side of the road to pick some, and the roots and all came up, so she planted them! But we had them when we were young too.
I have enjoyed planting at least one rose bush everywhere I have lived (both NY and NC). I love roses, but they are so difficult to grow here that I've given up on the tea roses. The bush ones seem to do okay.
I recall tha Mom disliked geraniums. I wish she liked them better because they are so hardy in the northeast. But she said they reminded her of cemetaries. Apparently Mom wasn't as fond of cemetaries as Patty Anne is.
Impatiences will always remind me of the Bruce Street house with the barrels in the front. I plant them every year. They are one of my favorites.
I remember Dad trimming the lilacs to the ground every year, and yet they would come back beautifully. If I did that, we'd never see the lilacs again!
I think the white flowering bushes in the front of the Dennison Road house were Spyria. I liked them because when you shoot the branches, it was like it was snowing.
I do recal Mom wanting to grow orchids. I still think of her everytime I see them. They are very difficult to grow, but Mom wanted to try. I wonder why she never did it?
There is nothing like seeing the Dogwood and Azaleas blooming in North Carolina in the spring! Happy gardening everyone!
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