ever since i was a little girl, i've been surrounded by adults who love to garden. because my grandfather had a wonderful vegetable garden every year, it really doesn't feel like summer to me without one.
this week i am visiting my mom. although my mom does not have enough room for a vegetable garden, she loves flowers and plants her tiny yard with a mix of annuals and perennials each year. whenever i visit, i like to look at her terra cotta pots and hanging baskets to see what color combinations she's loving at the moment. you can learn a good deal about someone by looking at their plants, i think.
my favorite part of her yard is her small, formal (and traditional) charleston garden in the backyard. it has a crushed oyster shell path that is flanked by boxwood hedges, a fountain with lily pads and bright orange goldfish, and a bench to provide a place for rest and contemplation. it's a peaceful oasis. also, on the property are some of the plants that i associate most with my childhood such as pampas grass and magnolia.
one of the most wonderful things to me about gardening is the knowledge that is passed down from family members and how often their favorite plants work their way into your heart. my mom has my grandfather's jade plant and a chinese evergreen plant that used to belong to my grandfather's mother. green family heirlooms. i love that.
do you have any plants that have been passed down through your family?
Oh yes! It's something I also love about gardening. In my yard we have a holly tree, daylilies, iris, and lily of the valley that are all descendants of plants at my grandparents' house. Most came by way of my parents' old house. Every time they bloom it has me thinking of childhood days spent in my grandparents' garden
ReplyDeletenice
ReplyDeletesmall garden design
I would love to see your mother's garden, I just love the courtyard gardens in Charleston.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I have some money plants from seeds that were from my grandparents. My grandmother always had dried monies in vases. And my dad has some rain lilies that have been in our family over 100 yrs.!
Great Post. I love gardening your blog is amazing.....
ReplyDeletebill ackman
Dedicated gardeners will always find a way to create small areas for planting in their home. I also come from a family who loves gardening. My parents' house has a wide garden area for different kinds of orchids. Flowers always remind me of home.
ReplyDeleteJamie Keifer