by Cathy Baker | Faith |
One grandmother was a founding member of her local Garden Club. The other, grew plants on her back porch and came from a family who once sold drop-dead gorgeous dahlias from their car trunk in downtown Spartanburg way back when.
Thankfully, I was able to dig up some plants from both homes before they were sold. From one, amaryllis and a hydrangea. From the other, an old-timey spice bush, daffodils, and cuttings from a rose bush that originated in my great-grandmother’s yard.
You wouldn’t know it by the way my yard looks right now (I’ll spare you the excuses) but I love my garden and the heirloom plants that have made their home here. When our roof was replaced earlier this year, I protected my grandparent’s plants like a mama bear. This fall, I plan to venture back outdoors to clean up, weed, and clip. After all, specific areas of the yard were planted with our future grandchildren in mind and a jungle was not on that list.
This weekend, I look forward to perusing the online catalog of Old House Gardens. I’ve always been delighted with both their product and customer service. It’s one of the few companies that still offer heirloom and hard to find plants.
Am I alone or was there a plant in your loved ones yard that you now enjoy in your own?
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
My first encounter with the zesty zinnia was on a rather steep incline (at least from an eight-year old’s perspective) behind my great-grandmother’s house. Uncle Walter grew a multitude of zinnias and chrysanthemums, taking every opportunity to lead visitors up his rustic steps to the beautiful sight above where an array of colors, textures, and shapes awaited them.
When we moved into our circa 1911 home, I wanted to introduce some of those same flowers into my own garden. A few years ago I showed my grandmother and her sister, Helen, my Old House Gardens catalog to ask what flowers most reminded them of their mother’s and brother’s (Uncle Walter) garden.
While I hope to plant more in the future, the one deep red zinnia I have is a real beauty–and it comes back bigger and better every year.
The green flower is one of my favorites and sets the red off perfectly! It is White Flower Farm’s first ever double cone flower, Coconut Lime.
So what childhood flower would you like to see growing in your garden? I encourage you find the perfect spot and cultivate sweet memories for years to come.
If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets
