There's a plant on our back deck that's older than Methuselah's grandmother. It came from Mamie's yard. Mamie was Jilda's father's mother and she was handy with a hoe and garden fork. She had an eye for beauty, function, and yard fashion.
Mamie's yard was landscaped the old fashioned way. Mamie would find a bare spot in her yard and she'd plant a cutting of something that caught her eye that she'd gotten from a friend or neighbor.
When Jilda was young, her mother often left her in Mamie's care. Together they'd walk around her yard while Mamie talked and taught. Those visits helped instill a love for Mother Nature's gifts into the soul of my lovely spouse. Mamie would point to a flower, shrub, or garden plant and teach her grandchild what the plant was called and how to care for it.
The picture below is a flower that's almost like a shrub. We keep it in a pot so that we can bring it inside during winter because we don't want to risk losing it. Once inside, it becomes a little snippy, dropping flowers and leaves in the winter room. By January, all that's left are stalks and stems. It looks like a skeleton.
But when the days get warm in spring, I haul the bleeding heart outside. Almost without notice, the bleeding heart will put out a few stems with green shoots, and soon the flowers come.
It's a beautiful thing to behold. And it's a gift that always makes us remember Mamie.
Mamie's yard was landscaped the old fashioned way. Mamie would find a bare spot in her yard and she'd plant a cutting of something that caught her eye that she'd gotten from a friend or neighbor.
When Jilda was young, her mother often left her in Mamie's care. Together they'd walk around her yard while Mamie talked and taught. Those visits helped instill a love for Mother Nature's gifts into the soul of my lovely spouse. Mamie would point to a flower, shrub, or garden plant and teach her grandchild what the plant was called and how to care for it.
The picture below is a flower that's almost like a shrub. We keep it in a pot so that we can bring it inside during winter because we don't want to risk losing it. Once inside, it becomes a little snippy, dropping flowers and leaves in the winter room. By January, all that's left are stalks and stems. It looks like a skeleton.
But when the days get warm in spring, I haul the bleeding heart outside. Almost without notice, the bleeding heart will put out a few stems with green shoots, and soon the flowers come.
It's a beautiful thing to behold. And it's a gift that always makes us remember Mamie.
A special person for sure.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have great memories of a special person and also a piece of their life that lives on and continues to bloom year after year. Such a pretty plant!
ReplyDeleteI admire folk who mark a loved one by a plant. I enjoy stories about plants and human relations. Friend Bonnie does the same. My mama tried, but we moved so much I think she gave up. This is a sweet tribute, Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful story and I love how this flower reemerges like the Phoenix. What a wonderful memory
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law left tulip bulbs that were over 200 years old. My children rescued a few of them to continue the tradition.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to remember a loved one!!
ReplyDeleteWe have several bleeding heart plants here. They are planted in the ground and come up again every year. They survive our harsh winters. They were started from a plant my mother had.
ReplyDeleteAbout the only plant I can hold on to are the peace lillys from my grand parents funerals. I have had them for years.
ReplyDeleteLisa
A wonderful way to remember Mamie.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish I had Grandma's Lily of the valley flowers. They lined the side of her house. Maybe I can find some somewhere. Mamie and Jilda were great partners.
ReplyDelete