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?
