Memories Full of Flowers
Have you ever thought about how many memories you have that involve flowers? There are so many specific types or fragrances of flowers that immediately pull us back to a specific time and place. We may smell a garden rose or bunch of sweet peas and immediately think about our grandma, their garden, and love of flowers. Maybe we see a gorgeous bouquet and it reminds us carrying our wedding flowers down the aisle on our wedding day—the beauty and feel of them in our hands.
I love how flowers hold this magic that can transport us back to memories and people. How thoughts of flowers and gardening will always be tied in our mind to certain loved ones or friends. It’s such a beautiful and special trait and one I hope to never take lightly in growing flowers for others to enjoy and share.
This past week I’ve spent time thinking about specific memories I have that involve flowers- there were so many of them! It’s easy for me to see in retrospect where my love of flowers and gardening came from.
My Mom’s Perennial Gardens
When I think of perennial flowers, I think of my mom. Growing up in New York, my family lived in two different homes and each of these homes I can vividly remember my Mom’s beautiful perennial gardens filling the space that ran along the front of both homes, as well as more in our backyard. Each spring, my Mom would fill the borders of her garden with a few flats of summer annuals for pops of colors, but it seemed that her true love was flowering perennials. She has a great eye for how to lay out her landscaping: what will grow tall and dense and belongs in the back of the bed versus the low growing and spreading plants to line the front of the garden bed.
I remember loving to walk barefoot in the summer along the sidewalk in front of our home to look at all the different plants blooming:Black Eyed Susans, hollyhock, coreopsis, and hydrangeas in the summer. Daffodils and irises in the spring. I always loved learning about what would bloom in different seasons.
2. Grandma’s “Wild Garden”
My Grandma loved to garden. She grew vegetables and flowers in her yard and loved being outside. On the side of her house was an area she called her “wild garden”—she didn’t worry about weeding or pruning in this area, she left everything to grow and do it’s own thing, resulting in a wild jungle of a garden.
I loved coming to her home and spending time with her and getting to admire this garden. It definitely was wild, but held so much color, texture, and beauty. My Grandma held such an awe and appreciation for beauty, something that I always hope to have and to give to my girls as well. When I’m spending time outside gardening, I so often think about memories I have of my Grandma.
3. My Aunt Shelli & Uncle Kelly’s Gardens
I definitely come from a family of gardeners. My Aunt Shelli is an amazing gardener, so much so that I think she can just look at a packet of seeds and they start growing for her. She grows so much fruit and vegetables in her garden. But she also has what I refer to as an “oasis” of a backyard. The entire perimeter of her backyard is completely full of flowers. From phlox, to zinnias, to Black Eyed Susans, coneflowers, and hostas in the shaded areas—it is full of so much beauty. When you walk through her back gate you’re immediately filled with so much peace and joy looking at all that’s growing there. When I think of creating a garden to be surrounded by beauty, I think of my Aunt Shelli.
My Uncle Kelly is also an excellent gardener. When I see a zinnia, I immediately think of him. From my earliest memories of his home, I remember the zinnias he grew every single summer. He’s shared his zinnia seeds with my Aunt, my Mom, and my cousin. I know it’s been special to my Mom since moving to Tennessee to still get to plant the type of zinnia that he loves and grows every year.
4.The Gift of Flowers
When I was in college I had to undergo back surgery one summer. I had met (my now husband) Cody a few months prior, but we weren’t yet dating when I had this surgery. A few hours after getting home from surgery, there was a knock on our door and a beautiful bouquet of flowers (pictured above) with a cute note that Cody had delivered. This definitely gave me a strong hint that he liked me as more than just a friend!
It made me so happy to see the beautiful bouquet and to know that he was thinking of me from states away. To this day, I still have the little card that came in that arrangement since it meant so much to me. I love to think about how we can all bring this joy to others: to mark a moment, cheer someone up, to celebrate a special occasion, or just to brighten someone’s day.
I’m so excited for the flowers to be blooming here soon at Glory Flower Farm. It’s extremely special to think that the flowers I’m growing could evoke a memory for someone, helping them stop and slow down and remember their Grandma, Mom, or a special moment they hadn’t thought about in a long time. I would love to hear about a special memory you have that involves flowers in the comments below!
