The gift basket was filled with annual seeds, gardening
tools, gloves, even a cute garden gnome.
So this week, in the midst of revision-problems that have
been giving me fits, I’ve been taking breaks to go outside and “play” in the
dirt. I’ve found it’s a great way to
work out plot issues, and I’ve been enjoying the May flowers as an added bonus.
This is my crop of lilac bushes (the photo is from last year, but you get the point). Lilacs remind me of my childhood; I think they’re very “New England.” White lilacs were part of my wedding bouquet, and I remember that every time I looked at them that day, they made me happy.
Blueberry bushes are another New England favorite. My dad planted four for us in our miniscule
back yard. Right now, they are budded
with flowers and dozens of bees are hovering over them, pollinating, but in
June, Dad will stop by for a morning of helping me stretch nets over the plants
so the birds won’t eat the ripening berries.
Here’s a photo of last August’s crop. The berries taste great in pancakes and smoothies. I can’t wait!
Another favorite plant is of Lily of the Valley. I do nothing special to take care of them,
and yet they blossom every year, smelling great.
Lily of the Valley reminds me of
my grandmother, who died when I was 17.
Her backyard was covered in them every spring.
When we sold her house, we transplanted some of her lilies, and the
flowers in my yard are descended from hers.
They remind me of her, and they make me smile, too.
(I don’t have a photo of the lilies, but here is Otis the
Cat with a pot of spring herbs.)
I’d love your comments.
Do you have any garden memories?
If not gardening, what tasks do you do to think out knotty problems?
20 comments:
I have a frangipani growing in my garden.
When my parents married they decorated the church with frangipanis from my Grandmother's garden. My Mother took some of the cuttings from the church & planted them. I took a cutting from those that grew.
I look at & smell my beautiful frangipani with such joy.
Argh. I bought strawberry plants from a choir fundraiser for my son. They're on my counter waiting to be planted.
Are they dead now?
Will they die soon?
These are the questions that surround my gardening efforts.
I want to be a person who has a garden, but it just doesn't work out.
Your blueberries are beautiful. (But I think they are giving me a disapproving glare. I'm slinking away now.)
Great post. I love lilacs, too.
I have a huge perennial flower garden that I started working in almost twenty years ago. I've plotted some of my best stories while working in those beds. And each spring, I'm blessed by the multitude of "old friends" that come to visit. Many of my plants have been given to me. Those are the ones I cherish the most.
Just replanted the side bed. Okay. I hired someone to do it but it's big and a lot of work. Put in Japanese iris, hydrangea and day lilies. Can't wait for the blooms.
BTW, the blueberries look so delish!
Marybelle, that is beautiful. I love that you and your Mom took those cuttings...it's like a line that can always run through the generations.
I just Googled frangipani, and I'm pretty sure the pink variety is what the hairdresser put in my hair for my brother's wedding in Hawaii. Such a beautiful flower!
LOL, Ellen! This is why you need a retired guy to come to your house and plant them for you. ;)
If my dad didn't come every year to net the blueberries, the birds and chipmunks would eat them all. Thank goodness I don't need to water them. (I hate dragging out the hose...)
Hi Pamela! I would love to see photos of your perennial garden some time. One of my dreams is to create one just like you describe.
Cathryn, I don't garden but my husband does *g* (he's really good at it, too!)
We have 14 (give or take a few) blueberry bushes and always have more berries than we (and my mom who comes up and picks her fill each summer *g*) use, so we let the birds go to town :-)
Hi Liz! Hiring someone is a very good idea--that's a big job.
I also dreamed of having blue hydrangea bushes in my side yard, but alas, my efforts to grow them didn't pan out. (Okay, they died.) Now I have to get my fill of them when I visit Cape Cod in the spring. Good luck with your garden!
See, Beth, it's all about getting the guys involved too, isn't it? ;)
I give your husband credit--14 bushes are a lot! In my dad's heyday he had 6-8, and he and mom were always begging people to come and pick blueberries--please! I'm sure the birds love you and are very appreciative.
When I'm not writing, I grow perennials for several garden centers. I also grew herbs for years, but now just grow a few for myself and my family. Our little business has been seriously down-sized and I couldn't be more happy! Now I have more time for writing.
I am not into gardening, but Otis the Cat is adorable. What a sweet kitty. He looks a lot like my cat, Brooke.
I love to garden--for about three months in the spring. I have great cold weather plants, make rhubarb pie, and scandalously plant my tomatoes before the end of May which is traditional where I live. Come July, however, it starts to look as if I like weeds best.
The blue berries look wonderful!!
Cathryn, your garden sounds lovely. And delicious!
In the backyard of one of the homes I lived in for ten years, we had lily of the valley on one side of the garden and lilacs on the other. They bloomed together and I used to love standing at the back door smelling the scented air. Gorgeous.
Thanks for stirring up a great memory ;-)
Kate, that's great! We're so lucky to be able to do what we love!
Thanks, Tammy! He is my neighbor's cat, but we love him, too. Knowing him is fast turning me into a crazy cat lady.
Hi Mary B! I agree, gardening is most fun in the spring...maybe because of our long winters. By summer, I'm more interested in other things, too.
You're welcome, Mary S. :-) It sounds like we had the same set-up.
I cut the flowers and bring them into the house, too, because they smell so good.
I love flowers, but like I said before I don't garden, my husband the horticulturalist does. He grows vegetables (lettuce, beans, cabbage) and flowers :)
Hi Cathryn,
Sorry I'm late commenting but I have been doing some gardening. I just love your pictures.
My special garden is my primrose garden. It has primroses from my mom's garden, primroses that came from a friend of my parents garden, ones my husband bought me, some my sister bought me, some my brother bought me and some I bought myself.
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