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.
What a wonderful collection of memories. And so lovingly presented.
you have such a lovely garden and it’s really nice that you got to acknowledge those who’ve shared by putting their names on the stone:)
You have put a lot of hard work and effort in creating a lovely personal garden of memories!
My Post
http://cowardscorner-nitwit1.blogspot.com
What a creative idea! I love this post and I may steal this idea.:-) Of course, in my yard, it would be a very short stroll…
Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend – oh! and have one of those fruity-rummy things for me…:-)
Wonderful post! I love your idea of the river rocks with the names of your passalong’s donors. I love passalong plants and have many myself. Your photos are just great!
What an amazing garden you have! Thanks for sharing pictures of it. 🙂
What a ice way to remember those who gave you the plants! Thanks for visiting my PhotoHunt.
What a wonderful way to honor :). I have all these beautiful rocks, I think we will name them tomorrow and add them to my gardens when we finish planting. Great pictures, thanks for sharing :).
Happy Mother’s Day!
What a great post! I enjoyed reading it! You have such a lovely garden! I love gardens! Great way to remember people who have contributed!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
you should make this garden into a book…altho I’m not sure it would be a book with an ending. I love your yard and I’ve never even seen it!
Great take on the theme. You have a wonderful garden! Happy weekend
This was a great post for the theme. You have a beautiful garden!
that’s a lovely garden you have. wonderful take for the theme.
What an awesome photohunt post!!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. 🙂
Nice collection of stones and plants. Great garden. Very creative take on the theme this week.
That’s a whole lot of memories there. Very creative and interesting. Thanks for the visit.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful garden with us! It’s awesome. Love your take on this theme.
Wow…the beautiful memories! Thank you for sharing. Btw-great take for this week’s PH theme.
Hope you’ll stop by http://upcountrysmiles.com & visit. Thank you.
Cindy O