Grandmother's Flowers

     Recently I have been remembering my Grandmother's garden.  She lived out in the country, literally in a town with a blinking light. Deep in East Texas. One of her favorite pastimes was creating a perpetual garden.  She ordered many bulbs and seeds out of catalogs since the nearest garden store was about an hour away.  My Grandmother was a vegtable gardener for years.  She had a small patch right out her back door full of all kinds of fresh vegtables.  So, when she turned to growing flowers she had a "flower garden".  Her flower bed was about 15 x 20 feet.  It was not like what you see today, perfectly manicured beds with perfect plants.  Think of a rectangle with small groups of your favorite flower, no stones in between, just small sticks to point out where the new plants are until they grow.
     One of my favorites that I still have from her bed is a 4 O'Clock plant.  This is a hardy plant that reseeds every year. I gathered seeds from Grandmother's garden, now I have them at my house. They come in pink, yellow, white and mutations of these colors.  The aroma they produce every evening is soft and sweet.



This is a beautiful picture of a 4 o'clock.  The name comes from the fact that every afternoon about 4 o"clock they bloom.  In the cool of the evening it is pure joy to sit on the back porch and enjoy this plant.

Another interesting flower I remember is "Rooster Comb".  This plant truly reminds you of a rooster's comb on top of his head.  It comes in yellow, pink and red.  I was always afraid to touch them, they look so prickly.  Once I got older I decided to try and see what the feel of this creature is.  To my surprise it has a soft, velvety feel.  Below is a picture of a field of "Celosia" or Rooster Comb.


     I also love the Seven Sister's Rose.  This rose bush is a hardy plant that runs along fences.  It has 7 or more blooms in a cluster at each bloom site.  Again, I remember these on the old farm place my Grandmother had.  We all took cuttings and now have transplanted them to our yards.  Mine blooms white, but they come in a variety of colors.  I haven't noticed much fragrance, but they are prolific in blooms.



Notice how the stem is thick and has multiple stalks coming from one root base.  These do well trimmed into a bush as pictured or allowed to climb on a fence.
     There are many "old fashioned" blooming plants I have not mentioned.  In early settler times these were often one of a ladies most treasured possessions.  They would take cuttings and carry them hundreds of miles wrapped in precious water to keep the roots alive until they were able to plant them at the homestead.  There are many stories written in history written by women telling of the value and memories a plant from home would bring.  When I look in my yard and see the plants that my Great Grandmother had it makes me feel like I still have a connection and a part of her memory is with me.
     There are numerous websites you can order these types of plants from. You can start from seed, or purchase small plants.  Recently there has been a resurrection of interest in the older plants.  People want something different than what the big box stores have to offer.  You can create an interesting garden with unusual plants all your neighbors do not have.  A few links I have found are :
https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com
http://www.oldsalem.org/garden-2.html

I hope this article has brought an interest to you about the possibilities of a garden filled with memories that will last and yours will become an heirloom garden.