I am a lover of all things floral. In my closet is floral patterned clothing. I decorate with all things floral. On occasion, I have even been known to sugar a few organically grown flowers to decorate cupcakes. If friends were flowers, I’d pick you.
If friends were flowers, I’d pick you.
I believe whole heartily in blooming where you are planted. With each move, in every home I have lived in, I have planted bulbs, pretty annuals, and faithful perennials. Then I moved to the Phoenix area.
If you know anything about zoning, number 9 is one tough cookie. Yes, it’s a desert. Ever the Pollyanna, I initially thought, “Surely, one could get flowers to grow here.”
Everything I planted the first summer quickly went onto the gardener’s graveyard.
The second summer Mr. Decor lovingly installed drips lines. I paid attention to tags and did a bit of research. Sadly, there was still quite a bit of life lost. This is now summer #3. I have accepted that my summer garden will contain mostly lantana, vincas and ice plants.
My Friend Mildred
Still, I miss seeing lilies, azaleas, daffodils, and tulips. While our climbing roses are not dead, they aren’t exactly blooming proficiently either. But one of the reasons I love blogging is that you meet wonderful people from all over the world. People who are happy to share their gardens with you.
One such person who recently came across my path is Mildred of Canton, GA. Mildred does not have a blog of her own but is a devoted reader of many blogs.
As you may have surmised, these are photos of Mildred’s garden, taken by her husband, John.
Mildred cultivates all this beauty in addition to caring for her mother, who has been blind for many years, has dementia and now sadly is under the care of hospice. Mildred’s husband John is also not in the best of health. But they all take great joy in the creek, moss, ferns, and flowers that grace their property. Overseeing it all is their darling wire-haired dachshund, Harriet.
One thing that is truly beautiful about Mildred’s garden is that she and her mother have spent hours pouring over catalogs and selecting varieties that carry the names of beloved friends and family members.
Recently, Mildred selected several lilies bearing the names of her closest friends. She planted the flowers in a circular pattern to indicate that their relationship is, in her own words, “Neverending.” I truly love this idea.
Mildred is a dear rose blooming amongst the thorns of life.
Yes indeed, if friends were flowers, I surely would pick Mildred.
Laura
Oh you are so right…Mildred is a dear woman…just as lovely and sweet in real life as you would imagine, and her gardens are fabulous! suzanne duda
I don’t think I know Mildred, but she sounds like a lovely lady. I really like her idea of the “never ending” flowers in a circle!Thanks for sharing! I hope you have a wonderful day!Blessings,Melissa
Thank you for sharing such a touching post. It is good to hear about incredible people and be reminded that there is still good in the world. She sounds like a remarkable woman. And I very jealous of her beautiful gardens. I still have a lot of work to do before I can come close.
I just found your blog today.I too adore the adventures of *half pint*I appreciate the floral passion.We have 150 roses,many variety’s and colors.Someday I hope to exchange the favor and post pictures on my (new)blog.Maybe you and Mildred can visit then. Thanks for sharing your flowers of inspiration!
lovely flower pictures!arlene,< HREF="http://www.flowerstogoonline.com/Gig-Harbor-Florist---Gig-Harbor-Flower-pi-4.html" REL="nofollow">Gig Harbor florist<>
Laura,This is such an uplifting post! I love the idea of choosing flowers by their names for friends and family members! Thank you for sharing Mildred and her story! Have a great day!
Losing flowers must be discouraging. Your pictures are just lovely. Your friend has got the green thumb.
What a lovely blog and such gorgeous flowers! pam carriker
Enjoyed your beautiful blog this morning. I’m in the process of planning white linen slipcovers, so your slip cover post was great. Any thoughts on Island Style/British Colonial decorating? Would love to see a post on that. I have “Island Life” by India Hicks and “The Romance of British Colonial Style” by Tricia Foley. Difficult to find pictures on internet. Have a great day!
What a wonderful idea of Mildred’s to plant the Friendship Lilies in a never ending circle. Love that!xo Lidy
I enjoyed this post very much! My sister lives in Meas and my husband’s sister lives in Gilbert so I can appreciate how ahrd ot is to grow many tender flowers. Mildred’s story is so touching. It sounds like flowers bring true joy to her life.
beautiful quote and photos!
This is Absolutely Beautiful! I love it….Mildred must be an amazing person!