Inspired by Joy

“In searching for my Mother’s garden, I found my own.”..Alice Walker

Hi Friends,

I have recently been trying to go through more of Mother’s pictures and she had made lots of photos of her flowers and gardens.   Mother really had a green thumb but she worked very hard and loved loved her flowers.

This is the house Mother and Dad lived in more than sixty years.

These flowers covered the front bank in front of our house.  Mother called it Thrift.  People would stop at our house and ask to take pictures.  On Sunday afternoons it would be a steady line of cars slowing down with visitors taking photos.  I am so glad I found this picture as my memories of this are very vivid but there would be no way to describe this.  She had a row of tulips planted above the thrift.

A little example of her rose garden.  She had many colors of peony roses.  She had one very unusual variety that I transplanted to my garden.  I hope it blooms this year.

I don’t have any idea how many forsythia she had.  Very beautiful and early bloomers.

Climbing pink roses on the back porch.

Peach blossoms…several peach trees on their property.

Her photos amazed me.  She only had an old Kodak camera or Polaroid.  Many of these pictures were done with a Polaroid.

She had unbelievable vegetable gardens.  She always planted sunflowers in her vegetable garden.

Our neighbors had this beautiful two story house you can see in this picture.

She loved her amaryllis.  These do not grow outside here because it is too cold.  She kept them in the basement and brought them upstairs when they were ready to bloom. She kept them year after year.

She had blooming cactus everywhere.  Many were hung in the trees.

Dogwood grew wild on our farm.

She wanted a closeup.  Like Mother, like daughter.

This is a small part of our backyard.  Susie liked to greet us.  Family and friends alike always used the back door!  Thank you for traveling with me down memory lane.

                                  Dianne