My Parents' Garden

My gardening inspiration came from my Mum and hers came from her Dad before her.  She gave me a patch to call my own, when I was little, which I faithfully marked out with pebbles and shells. After that, Mum gave me pansy plants and daffodil bulbs to put in my garden and I enjoyed spending my pocket-money on growing things from seed...

I popped back to visit my parents last weekend and realised that many descendants of my plants are still thriving there thirty to forty years later...  The Maltese Cross is a good example.  I love that intense, vivid colour!

I started out with a packet of Sweet William seeds.  They were my Dad's favourite flower and my Grandad grew them on his nursery.  He sold them as cut flowers for their fragrance and their long-lasting qualities.  One holiday, I remember accompanying my Aunt, packing up the van with vases of flowers and travelling across Birmingham on a delivery run.  It was such an adventure!

When a friend gave me a Passion Flower seed-pod (like a small yellow plum) I had no idea what to do with it. I guessed that if it fell off the plant in the wild, it would embed itself in the soil... so I planted it in a pot and pushed it in and let nature take its course.  This did the trick and lots of seedlings grew! There have been Passion Flowers growing in my parents' garden ever since.

My parents have blooms from our grandparents' gardens, too. There are my Nan's Crocosmia and swathes of my Grandad's white daffodils.  When Mum and I walk around the garden, we enjoy the memories we associate with them.

Evening in my parents' garden, taken after a long hot day and a cool evening - playing badminton with the kids!

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day :)