PhotoHunt
Once again it is time for the Saturday Photohunt. This week the theme is “In Memory.” Make sure you visit the site to find other takes on the theme. It is well worth visiting other blogs, there are some great and creative photographers out there participating in this meme.
I thought about this theme all week, and I just could not decide what to do for a post. Yesterday, as I was dumping weeds I had just pulled plus old daffodils and irises I had deadheaded recently onto the “to be ground for compost” pile, I noticed several hundred seedlings scattered around the pile site. There were chicory, catnip, Thai basil, lettuce, kale, rose campion, dill, cilantro and sundry other volunteers, all courtesy of the stuff I cleaned out the gardens last year. I thought that would be a clever post: ”In Memory of Gardens Past.”
Then I thought about my beautiful cat Mike, who died last year. I have lots of great pictures of him, and it would make a great post, only I still miss him. I can’t decide which of the many stories would I choose to tell about him. Some other time, perhaps.
Besides, the apple of my eye right now is my new Stroll Garden. If you haven’t been following its progress on the blog since inception, I refer you to my archives. Anyway, one of the features of the Stroll Garden is a section I call Memory Lane. This was inspired by all the passalong plants that I have acquired in the years I have been gardening here. I bought a whole pile of rocks (about 12 tons) at an auction a few years ago, and one of the pieces that was in the pile was a remnant of an old grave stone that the people I bought the rocks from had collected “Somewhere” in the Ozarks. I use it as a “street sign” for this section of garden.
It is clear that the original inscription read “In Memory Of My Darling Wife” before the stone aged and broke. It took me a very long time to decide exactly where it should sit in the garden scheme, but it wasn’t long before the proper place became evident.
Once I decided that I wanted some sort of organized display of the many passalong plants I now enjoy custody of, I also decided that I wanted to acknowledge the donors in some way. It was a very short leap to naming the paths bordered by those beds “Memory Lane.” Since I have a passion for picking up river rocks, it didn’t take long before I realized that I should paint names on them. People really enjoy being recognized for their contribution when they walk through the garden on a tour.
I have received gifts of plants and money from friends:
I have many clients represented in my gardens too.
Many family members have contributed plants and money as well.
Last, but by no means least, is The Bench, provided by the two J’s, the men in my life, my husband and son. Jim and Jesse, I thank you, and I love you.
