Garden Reports and Rejoicing – December 8
A woman came into the garden center yesterday and bought one of the hellebores. I was thrilled because among a sea of pink and red Cyclamen, this beautiful perennial gets overlooked. She was thrilled because she said the plant reminded her of her home country, Germany.
This got me thinking about how plants are always connections to our past. Sometimes it’s the look of the plant that creates this link and sometimes it’s the fragrance. The smell of Lantana and Chrysanthemums take me right back to high school, for example, while the taste of violets and certain weeds (yes, we ate them) transport me to my elementary years in Indiana. Hollyhocks and sweet peas bring me back to my grandmother’s garden in Colorado.
If you want your grandchildren to remember you, spend time with them in the garden. Choose plants that are fragrant, edible and showy and let them pick and play with these selections at will. Long after you’re gone they’ll think of you when they see or smell those plants.
Connections to the past and future? You can grow that!
How can you have a garden without hellebores? Impossible. These Gold Collection plants are nice because the flowers face upwards...and they bloom all winter!
