I remember my mother and grandmother talking garden when I was growing up. It centered mainly around what kind of beans were best to grow, the sweetest corn, how many tomatoes to put in, where to put the onions. Practical stuff. We always had a huge garden, and my grandparents would come out on weekends and help with it. Canning was serious business around our house, and the kitchen would be hot and steamy from the processing of all the veggies. We never had air conditioning--that was for rich folks! I don't know how she stood the heat, but boy, the smells coming out of the kitchen would be fantastic. All the food Mom put up would last us through the winter. Gardening wasn't just a hobby, it was a necessity!
But I remember Mom having flowers too, and she always let me help with planting the garden (or at least, I thought I was helping) and she would let me have a patch to call my own. I remember the fantastic poppies along the fence row, the lilacs, and the roses. Grandma had to have pansies and johnny-jump-ups, marigolds, hollyhocks, and peonies. Mom was more adventuresome than Grandma, both in flowers and vegetables, always trying new things. I remember one year when she planted a whole row of spaghetti squash. We ate it all summer long it seemed. I thought we were going to have it growing out our ears! But, today I love spaghetti squash, and I love to try new things--in the garden, in the kitchen--in life. Thanks Mom!
This is a picture of my mother at my sister's house. Part of our vacation was to see DH's family in Arkansas, and then mine in Illinois. We take our time on the road, and stop at every antique store between here and there. We have our favorites that we stop at every year, and then new ones we love to discover. Mom went with us to a new one we discovered in Princeton. We were worn out by the time we were through, but we all had a good time and came home with a few goodies.
My sister's cat, Kitty, knows a soft lap and a gentle heart when she sees my mom. 
The rest of the pictures are of flowers from my mother's garden. I have developed my passion for gardening from her. She fusses every year that she has to quite gardening, but I think she enjoys them too much to give them up entirely. I keep telling her to container garden. Just pot some flowers on her back step and patio where she would sit and enjoy them, but I think she enjoys her wild flowers too much to give them up.
I hope you enjoyed the walk around my mother's garden as much as I did. It will have to last me until next year.
6 comments:
Beautiful flowers. I wish we had more pics of family flowers. I forget to take my camera with me when we go visit. I really should.
I love spaghetti squash as a substitute for spaghetti when I am on a diet. It is not exactly the same but a little tomato sauce and just a bit of cheese on top, makes it very acceptable as a spaghetti substitute.
Even when I take my camera, I am so bad about remembering to TAKE the pictures!!!
My favorite way to fix spaghetti squash is with garlic sauteed in a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese (everything is better with Parmesan cheese). Yum!
Thanks for the story. I too have fond garden memories from my grandmother, mother and aunt. The steamy kitchen sans air conditioning really brought back memories.
I wish I had pictures from that time. But who thought to take pictures of cutting vegetables and canning. I have to remember to get pictures of my family doing "ordinary" things.
Marie, Thanks for reading and commenting. Whenever I think of my mother canning, I have this picture in my head of all the jars lined up on the counter on tea-towels, listening for them to go "POP", as they cooled and the jars sealed. Isn't it funny the memories that we keep with us that becomes part of who we are?
A great garden tour. I got the gardening bug from my Grandmother, so I can relate. Thanks so much for the pics and story.
I think it must be in the genes! I come from a long line of gardeners. Thanks for stopping by. Your blog is one of the first I got "hooked" on!
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