Mom's garden

My mother had a garden, always. She had flowers and vegetables. She loved spring. One of the first signs that it was garden fixing time was the Spring Garden Show in Philadelphia, PA. Mom went every year. It was an event. No one went with her, but she met her sister, Aunt Anne there, and they loved it. She would come home so excited about what she saw. She didn't buy any flowers, but she got catalogs and ideas.

In the spring she went through the seed catalogs and ordered seeds for her garden. She needed seeds for her tomatoes, her herbs, and any new "flowering plant" she saw at the flower show. Each year she added another rosebush and another iris plant to her garden.

These pictures are the house where I grew up, NOW, not when mom was gardening. The new pastor's wife has made the yard beautiful again. It went downhill after mom died, because dad had no interest in it. So, for 13 years the lawn got mowed, but the plants (annuals) that came back each year had to fend for themselves. They got water when it rained. Dad wouldn't water during a drought. But her roses, survived mostly intact, as did her irises.

Mom's favorite rose -- well, she really had two that she loved -- one was crimson glory and the other was sterling silver. She was so excited when she got sterling silver. It was supposed to be gray (like silver?) and it was sort of, but more lavender in color than gray. Crimson glory was a deep, velvety red, almost burgundy rose and the aroma of that rose was unbelievable.

She had climbing roses that took over their corners of the house and garage, but they were beautiful when they were in bloom. I wish I could remember the names of those roses. The bush that covered the garage was a very pale pink, and it was a full, beautiful rose and almost white, but had just a little bit of pink on the edge.

The growth at the back door was a red rose, not as full as the other roses, but it still had a wonderful "bouquet". There was a yellow climber by the cellar door. Not as pretty as the others, but it gave us in-house flowers for several weeks each year.

I already mentioned that we visited an "iris farm" on Memorial Day, and that's where mom got her "iris" wishes. She had a black iris -- and I know no names of any irises, but I love the plants -- and it was really black. I think she wanted a black rose -- there was a rose at one time that was almost black, it was such a deep red.

I believe she had a Mrs. Miniver rose. I know she had a peace rose.

She had a white lilac bush that she nurtured and took great care of. But the purple lilacs grew with no help from her at all. She had a patch of lavender that I envy today. I have a large pot, but her lavender came back every year and it took over the spot next to the back steps. Seems to me, there was a climbing rose there at one point as well.

On the west side of the house, she had mostly irises, and a few rose bushes. In the front of the house she had a forsythia bush that was her bane. She kept chopping it back and it kept taking over the yard. I think it was finally removed.

I never appreciated all the work mom did in her garden, but I do now. And when I heard the song "In the Garden" I think of mom and the Lord walking together in the morning -- the time of day she did most of her garden work.