Which flowers are special to you?

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
26,651
Reaction score
32,188
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
I have told this story before but I became aware of the world at my grandmother's home, where we lived when I was 3 & 4. She had a garden as long ago as my mother could remember and, although a widow living by herself during the final years of her life, she had a large garden of mostly flowers.

One of my earliest memories was looking up into the foxglove flowers, maybe seeing a bumblebee ... I learned the meaning of the word "fox" & "glove" and tried to understand why they were called that. And, although my first gardens beginning as a teenager were of vegetables, I remembered foxgloves :).

Later, I became more involved with flowers but before those years, I was up to some other things. One was going to school, another was gaining some adult responsibility ;).

I remember finding different ways to make my way to and from the college town during Summer breaks, holidays, etc. Iris do well here and people evidently take extra rhizomes and toss them out of the yard and I would see these lovely flowers blooming in ditches along the country roads on my wayward travels over the 80+ miles between the campus and my hometown.

Also, I once lived with a buddy in an upstairs apartment. An elderly lady, Jerry, lived downstairs. She may have reminded me of my grandmother. Not all iris have such a remarkable fragrance but Jerry had these iris that would absolutely transport you into another dimension if your nose was anywhere close to them. I have some iris in my yard these days and they certainly smell okay but nothing as fragrant as Jerry's.

Syringa are wild plants that have attractive clusters of flowers and bloom on the forest edges here on nice looking bushes. They have a good fragrance. I remember being delighted to discover them when I moved here as a young guy and appreciate why some residents moved them to their yards, years ago.

There are plenty of foxglove and other flowers here at home. Flowering plants are started each year. Joy is taken in many, like the old man faces in the pansies and I have some memories of times past with some of these flowers but the special flowers exist in my memories as much or more than they do in reality ;).

Steve
 

Blueberry Acres

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jul 30, 2023
Messages
296
Reaction score
861
Points
125
Location
Rhode Island
For me, bleeding heart flowers are very special. They remind me of my great-grandmother who passed away when I was four. She had the first garden I can remember. The only specific plant I remember her having is her bleeding heart bush; I absolutely loved the tiny heart droplets! When she passed, my grandfather (who inherited the house) tore out the plant and tossed the stalks in his "dump area" (which is now my flower garden). The bleeding heart bush (miraculously!!) sprung up the following year, bigger than ever! It is the oldest and most meaningful plant in my garden now. Every spring, it faithfully comes up with its tiny hearts and makes me smile. It has gotten so big; it is in dire need of dividing! It is a wonderful reminder of the person who inspired me to garden. ❤️

OIP.D1Ljkbsr45da08Vk_ofUkgHaEx
 

Finnie

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
125
Reaction score
421
Points
137
Location
Indiana, zone 5b
Joy is taken in many, like the old man faces in the pansies and I have some memories of times past with some of these flowers but the special flowers exist in my memories as much or more than they do in reality ;).
You just reminded me why I like pansies so much- my grandmother always grew them around her patio!
 

Dirtmechanic

Garden Addicted
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
1,850
Reaction score
4,562
Points
247
Location
Birmingham AL (Zone 8a)
Calla Lillys. They are so elegant.
I've only grown them twice.'
Maybe next year?....
I steal yellow ones from my neighbor because the tubers grow into my yard so I shovel them up and transplant them to a fairly large patch on the other side of my yard. I am a little torn as I do not know if it is a royal setting, feng shui, yin and yang or common theft. Either-or they still look nice.
 
Last edited:

flowerbug

Garden Master
Joined
Oct 15, 2017
Messages
16,884
Reaction score
26,347
Points
427
Location
mid-Michigan, USoA
I steal yellow ones from my neighbor because the tubers grow into my yard so I shovel them up and transplant them to a fairly large patch on the other side of my my yard. I am a little torn as I do not know if it is a royal setting, feng shui, yin and yang or common theft. Either-or they still look nice.

once it crosses the property line i think it is fair game as long as you don't kill off their planting. if it hasn't become an issue by now it probably won't...
 
Top