www.1001TopWords.com |
Making Memories with Flower Gardening
Flower gardening is not only about the present, but can be about the past as well. Although this article is ostensibly about flower gardens, it is really more about carrying memories forward. This will enrich your flower garden. Just three weeks ago, at the time I write this article, my mother- and father-in-law died as a result of a car accident. In the fallout around that, the children, including my husband, had to go through their belongings. We had to sort 90+ years of memories and found some amazing things. But the part that has to do with flower gardening lay outside their home. Now, in their later years, they did not do as much gardening as they had previously. But, they still had a few plantings around their home. They had lived in this house for over 50 years and some of the plants provided memories to my husband and his siblings going back to their childhood. It became very important to my husband and me to make sure we brought some of these plants into our own garden. There are the irises that my father-in-law fought to grow, in certain locations around the house, and that he fought to control in others. I don't know how many irises he gave away over the years trying to thin his beds and keep them from taking over. There is the purple phlox that finally found its place outside the back door off the patio. When we were there this time, they were in magnificent bloom. Some of these will find their way into at least three gardens as an uncle has taken some plantings as well. Although not part of the flower garden, there is the tree that my father-in-law planted to take the place of the garage the city would not allow him to build. "If I can't build a garage, I'm going to grow me one." Or the other tree, a red oak, in the front yard. I have pictures of my own children as little tykes standing in front of it. It has come a long way, baby. Then there are the red roses of three different varieties in the back yard. These haven't been there as long as some of the other flowers. But they have been there since the grandkids and great-grandkids started coming along. What a better memory than carrying cuttings from these into our own flower gardens for our grandchildren to admire and know came from their great-grandparents. This carrying on of the memories attached to the flower garden and of the joy of flower gardening is a good tradition. It is a living way to bring forward the past into the present. You may wish to consider this yourself as well. Browse our gardening articles in our Gardening Tips Articles for tips on how to take cuttings or otherwise propagate plants from your own parents' and grandparents' flower gardens. Share these living reminders of your personal history with your own family. Make your flower gardening that much more important and enjoyable. © 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson. Find more articles about Flower Gardening for all Flower Garden Lovers at our informative website, http://flowergardenlovers.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Make The Most From Your Vegetable Garden All your hard work has paid off, and now you are presented with a dilemma, too many vegetables! After sharing your wealth with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and anyone that happens to come to visit, there are alternative options of what you can do with your extensive supply of tomatoes, zucchini and other bountiful crops that will bring great joy to the community around you. Compost YES, Epsom Salts NO You'll often hear garden writers recommending the use of Epsom salts in the garden as a general rule. First off, I'm not one of those writers. Secondly, Epsom salts are essentially magnesium so if your garden soil is magnesium starved, adding the Epsom salts will seemingly work miracles. If your soil is not magnesium starved, adding Epsom salts is a waste of time, effort and money. Suet Facts and Tips If you are like many people, backyard birding is a hobby for you whether you actively encourage visits from birds or not. One way to attract birds is to put out suet -- beef fat -- and watch the crowds stop by and devour the treat. Suet is an inexpensive food source and should become part of your bird feeding program if you desire to attract a steady flow of birds. With Outdoor Lighting You Can Enjoy Your Garden Into The Evening Hours It is a beautiful evening and you are relaxing on your patio, enjoying the cool summer air. The flowers are blooming, the lawn is green and lush, everything is perfect, if only you could see! We spend so much time and money on our backyards, decks and patios, and then the sun goes down and we must abandon these beautiful oases. However, it does not have to be that way if you have outdoor lighting. Garden Fencing I made my very first garden when I was six in a small corner at the end of my grandmother's garden. It was a small patch, not more than six rows by 10 plants long, but it was MINE, with the flowers I picked and the dirt that I dug. And I knew that it was mine when Nana helped me put up the sections of wire fencing that set it off from HER garden. Companion Planting If you look closely at the natural landscape, you'll never see a large area populated by a single species. Why then would it make sense to plant a single crop in a field or in a section of your garden? It doesn't. Companion planting makes a lot of sense. Planting Bare Root Roses Before planting, the plants must be prepared. The following suggestions will help insure that your roses grow into healthy bushes, trees, etc.: Hummingbirds Many individuals are fascinated by hummingbirds. So much so, that they will do anything in their power to attract these petite creatures to their yards. So what is the best way to attract these wee feathered friends? Mosquitoes in Your Garden? Try Planting These If you are a serious gardener, you spend lots of time outdoors. And, for sure, you would rather be tending your plants than swatting mosquitoes. Colour in the Garden Colour affects our emotions, moods, physical, and spiritual well-being. It has a significant effect on everything we eat, drink, and touch and influences our physical environment including our home, office, and garden. Colour reflects our personalities. The colours we prefer for home interiors carried out to the garden, provide continuity between our interior and exterior living spaces. Colours are a useful tool in creating different moods in the landscape. In order to effectively create with colour it is important to understand the meaning of the different colours. Tidy Your Garden Up Cheaply Recently I got involved with gardening. Preior to that, all I use to do was mow the lawn when it overgrew. However, nowadays, I enjoy making my garden looking beautiful and like to share my success with others. How To Prevent Damping Off Damping off is the single term used to describeunderground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due tounknown causes. The term actually covers several soil bornediseases of plants and seed borne fungi. The fungi whichcause root rot are species of Phyium, Phytophthora,Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. The Rich History of Wild Roses Outdoor Living Cleanses The Mind, Body, and Spirit Through the use of various mediums pertaining to the outdoors, like hot tubs and patio furniture, one can relax and enjoy nature. Don't stay confined to four walls and a roof, breathe and inhale the free, fresh air only the beautiful outdoors can provide. Use your outdoor space as an extension of home, with all the added comforts. Suppose you do not have an outdoor space to relax on wicker and eat on a simple yet classy teak table. What do you do? Mole Traps: Can You Use Them? Mole control is one of the most complicated problems thatcan face a gardening enthusiast. Edgeworthia Chrysantha Although it is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, the family that includes the daphnes, it would be hard to imagine a plant less like a daphne at first glance. However, if you are familiar with the deciduous Daphne genkwa, there is some hint of resemblance there. Fish Health in Hot Summer Heat Summer is over, but for many of us - the heat remains.Here a couple of things to do to keep your fish healthyand your pond clear going into winter. First, rememberto keep your pond well aerated. This is very importantto your fish because the pond water actually holds lessoxygen at higher pond temperatures. So if it's stillhot in your part of the country, keep those waterfallsand fountains running! This will keep your pond waterfull of oxygen, and reduce stress on your fish. Fountains of Refreshment When hot, sticky days hit, try to use all your senses to keep cool. Sight and sound have amazing psychological effects, even when the thermometer soars. Wildlife Gardener Gardening for wildlife has become quite a passion for me, although I only have a small urban garden I have still managed to fit a fair amount of bird and insect friendly flowers and plants in. How to Care for Your Outdoor Water Fountains Garden lovers around the world love putting fountains among their flowers, plants, bushes and shrubs. And with the Christmas season upon us in the U.S., many garden lovers may get their very first fountain as a gift this year. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |