I'm feeling a bit self-conscious here. I had hoped this would be a whole heap of blogs from gardeners around the country who would also share their experiences and garden adventures. Perhaps everyone is "gardened out" right now? I will persist for a bit longer however because I am enjoying re-living some of the joys of my garden journey.
This is a story about inspiration. As a young child my Mum and Dad always had a great garden in a lot of different houses, Mum had lovely flower beds with annuals and perennials even when they lived in extreme climates. My Dad was in the NZ Army and they lived in Singapore, Malaysia and Waiouru. Dad was the vegie king and I recall sitting in between rows of peas feeling very wicked picking the pods, popping the peas into my gob and then stashing the pods into the silverbeet patch - like he wasn't going to know!!
My Nanna grew the best sweet peas in Hastings, my great Grandma planted a garden of wildflowers next to a railway line in Eltham, my Aunty Bet had sweet smelling daphne in every room when we came to stay - gardening was in my DNA whether I liked it or not.
When I was a teenager I remember sitting outside the garden centre in the car feeling very hard-done-by while they chose treasures for their garden in Ohakune. It was the first house they had built and it wasn't an army house to be lived (and gardened) in for a two year posting. They took so much pleasure in creating that garden.
I never believed that I would be interested in plants or gardens or vegies or anything as boring as potting mix.
How wrong I was. Gradually over the years from small beginnings - a petunia in a pot here and there, a tiny vegie patch with radishes and a couple of lettuce - the passion grew.
Both Mum and Dad have now gone. They have left me with a legacy that I desperately want to pass on to my grandchildren. In these awful Covid times I want to show them something real, something precious and something that will sustain both their bodies and their souls... a living, growing garden.
Although I am primarily a vegetable gardener (Daddy's girl) this rose epitomises the joy of my garden. It is a Matthews rose bred quite near to my hometown. I was visiting a local garden centre around 6 years ago with my late Mum and we both fell in love with it. She said she would like to buy it for me and we then went and read the label.
It is called "my Mum". xx
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