1. My grandmother, who was the most special person to me, loved to raise violets. She had them scattered all over her home in the view of her windows. Of course, they needed light to grow. She had every color and every variety that there was. When she passed, we saved as many as we could and passed alone new ones to all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I still grow them in my windows and love watering, feeding, and watching them bloom year-round.

2. My birthday is August 31 so gladiolas are special to me – my husband always grew them in his garden every year.

3. Every time I see a poinsettia, I think of my grandma, grandpa, and brother. My grandparents were married very close to Thanksgiving and in the later years, my grandpa always bought my grandma at least one poinsettia to celebrate their life together and the upcoming holidays. When my grandpa died, my brother surprised our grandma by bringing her a poinsettia for Thanksgiving. He told her that he knew she missed Grandpa but he would always make sure that she had a poinsettia every year. She cried but looked forward to that gift every year until her death a few years ago.

4. My grandfather made cedar chests for all of his granddaughters and my grandmother made quilts for all the grandchildren and most of the greats. I strongly suggested that my son not take his to college when he left (today, sniff), just in case, because freshman boy/men, let loose on their own… And he didn’t. He got a nice new blanket.

5. My grandson gave me a pansy plant for mothers day this year and it brought back a long forgotten memory of me helping my mom and grandma planting pansies in our garden when I was about 6 or 7 years old. Good memories.

6. I love lilacs! I wanted to have them in my bridal bouquet, but I don’t think they use lilacs for that purpose. At least they didn’t in my town at that time, but the lilacs were flowering at that time and I do have them in my wedding photos.

7. My mom could grow anything. She always had a garden, so anything growing reminds me of her. She had flowers and vegetables that were the envy of the entire neighborhood. She had Christmas cactus that bloomed year round, and a gardenia that flowered even after my sister accidentally watered it with bleach. I’m constantly reminded of all the great food that mom grew and disappointed when I go shopping for vegetables. They are never as good as hers were. She knew that my favorite vegetable was butternut squash, so she grew it one year. Of all her plants of the butternut squash, only one survived. That plant grew from one side of the backyard to the other, then from the backyard to the front yard and then across the front of the garden. It grew into an evergreen tree, that was a cutting from a Christmas tree and was then about 15 feet high. She got 7 butternut squash that were all over 5 feet long and about 15 inches around. She said that she had originally thought to give me all the squash she got from that plant, but it was just too much. She shared it with the neighbors and even donated on to the church for the Christmas dinner for the needy. I ate butternut squash for months. Now I cannot see fresh vegetables without thinking about my mom. She was the Best!

8. Yes, I also have a flower memory. As a child in Minnesota, my mom had pink and white peonies in the front yard. They were so beautiful when they bloomed. I now have them in my front yard, as does my daughter. My mom, who is 90 now, again has them in her home again, since moving nearer to us.

9. My son has disabilities and has never said “I love you” He learned to say some words listening to the movie Dumbo over and over and over again. Elephants became something he liked after he saw one at the zoo at age 3. This Christmas at age 30 just before the new Dumbo movie came out, he gave me an elephant necklace. That was his way of saying “I love you.” Best gift ever. Of course we did see the new movie together.

10. When my Mom and Dad married during the WWII, he was home on leave and she carried glads from the Aunties Garden where they married in the Parlor.That was 75 yrs ago August 13th ! Then my dad gave her glads every anniversary til he passed away. Soooo when my husband and I married 45 yrs ago this Aug 24th I carried glads also from my girlfriends garden. She provided glads for my Mom when my Dad passed away and we moved away. They are our SPECIAL Summer flowers!

11. Mom loved the gladiolas and the late blooming peonies. She always had flowers around the entire house and yard while planting varieties that assured that something was blooming all the time. She made great arrangements with whatever was growing. She also took bunches to the sick and shut-ins in our neighborhood.

12. One Christmas my dad built my three sisters and I each a beautiful jewelry box. I still treasure it.

13. All flowers that grow in my garden remind me of my grandmother. She had the best green thumb. Peonies are my favorite and especially remind me of her.

14. Daisies. They remind me of being a little girl going to my grandmother’s on summer days. She would watch me, and it was a break from an exasperated, bitter single mom that was overwhelmed at raising me and my sibling. But my gram… My gram always had something cooking in the kitchen, she had homemade sweet tea waiting, just made so it was both cold from the ice and warm. And her large yard had daisies in it. I could run through her yard in the summer, not worrying about anything. Not schoolwork or bullies or an angry mom. Summers were fond memories.

15. The gladiolas remind me of my grandmother. She had a beautiful garden full of flowers and another one full of vegetables. When we would visit she would let us pick her flowers and vegetables. Fond memories!

16. Gladiolas remind me of my Dad, actually! He was the gardener in the family – did a beautiful job landscaping with lots of trees trimmed into bonsai’s and beautiful shapes. He planted Gladiolas every year too. It was the only flower that he did planted. I remember him digging up the bulbs and saving them until the next year. When they bloomed he would cut them and bring them into the house. This is something I never really thought about before. Next year I need to start planting my own! (Although my thumb is nowhere as green as his!)

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