THE CHANGING OF THE FLOWERS

In the spring

We wait for the tulips

Followed by lilacs

Then iris

Peonies

Showy Lady Slippers

Fields of daisies

And gladiola

Grandma Mae had a garden of glads. We were not allowed in that garden lest we should break this beautiful flowers stalks. She planted the bulbs in rows as if they were carrots. I always wanted to bunch them together to make a bouquet. I wonder how many of those bulbs were several years old. How many years can they bloom, do you know?

That only happened when she picked a variety of colors and brought them into the house. She painstakingly removed the stems as the blossoms withered. She was careful to select them from different rows to make the garden still look plentiful. She did not plant according to color.

Grandma Ranum, one the other hand, grew Hollyhocks. She allowed the picking of the blossoms; one full bloom for the body, and one bud for the head to make a doll. The two pieces were held together with a half a tooth pick.

Do you remember flowers in your grand mother's garden? Did you have a favorite?

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