I learned to love flowers mostly from my Grandma, Kathryn Hendrickson. Her father came from Holland and once here in the U.S., he supported the family as a gardener and a stable boy for thoroughbred horses. She would always tell us about how he could take any cut rose and nurture it into a beautiful bush.
As she got older, she couldn't get outside to care for her flowers and we all tried to help. I'm not really sure if we were that helpful, but she loved to spend time with us. While we lived in Indiana, she guided me through transplanting a bunch of her flowers to my home. It made her so happy to visit and see them blooming.
When we moved to Pennsylvania, we had to move in to temporary housing for a few months and couldn't bring starts of anything with us. The year following our move, she passed away at the age of 87. Her little house had to be sold and so I had to hurry to get starts of her flowers. My mom dug up starts of anything she could find and sent them in a box of dirt overnight. I had to get them in the ground and try to learn how to care for them immediately. I think she was watching over them, because some of each kind of flower survived.
I am so thankful each time I hear, "Look mom, one of Grandma Katy's flowers is blooming!" I think she still finds pleasure watching us care for "her" flowers. Here are a few pictures from last year.
Peonies
Surprise Lilies
2 comments:
My love of flowers comes from my grandma, too. Ramona Grace (Phillips) Hofmann had a fabulous garden on the farm in Rosalia. She had cared for the things of the earth for over 80 years. She grew all the vegetables you could imagine and canned or froze them each year. Her flowers were the envy of the small town. She provided bouquets for the Methodist Church every Sunday and for all the weddings and funerals held there for years and years. You are so lucky to have some of her flowers in your own yard. I wish I did.
I love your flower blog! I completely understand how you feel. I would love any plants that you need to divide. I don't have any crocus up yet. I go out every day to check if they are up. I am enjoying my dad's orchid. Did you get the picture?
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