Adventures In Gardening: Honoring Our Loved Ones In The Garden

From NJ Zone 7b.

Hard to believe after this morning's chilly sunrise garden walk that we will be near 80* tomorrow and 86* on Monday before dropping back into the 60s again. Still no rain to speak of in our forecast and red flag warnings cover the State from top to bottom. (For those who are unfamiliar, 'red flag warning' means an enhanced risk of brush fires and/or wildfires).

From where I sit now in the kitchen, I can see the Pink Knock Out (Rosa 'Radcon'), my second rose, purchased in 2007 around the anniversary of my daughters passing to grow in her memory; one of the years when the coming & going of that anniversary was particularly awful. I see Rosa 'Pope John Paul II' (Hybrid Tea Rose), growing in my Nana's memory since last year because I happened upon this clearanced rose named after a man she loved & respected for as long as I can remember. (She passed away in 2000). I see my beloved Dogwood just now waking from its' Winter slumber, rescued from a re-landscaping job roughly a few years ago. I just found out recently that Dogwoods were my mother.in.law's favorite tree. (She passed away in 2005).

Thursday evening we received devastating news about my husband's wonderful father. On top of his ailing heart, he has cancer. Cancer that has already spread from its' original location to another area. Inoperable. Nothing they can do. Words aren't enough to tell you... It's so awful. We love him dearly. I love him dearly. The only man I have ever known better than he is my husband.

I mentioned previously that I fell in love with Camellias during our road trip to FL & back to see my father.in.law in February. Not only that, I saw the huge Camellia bush in front of my in.law's home in full, red bloom for the first time. Before getting back home to NJ, I decided I wanted to try growing a Camellia in my garden, if they grew this far Northeast and apparently, they do.

When I was at the nursery yesterday, standing among the containers of red, white and pink Camellias, I decided something else: If the Camellia I brought home comes back & blooms next year, I will purchase another; it will be red, in honor of both my father.in.law & mother.in.law and I will place it near the Dogwood in our back yard.

Do you honor loved ones in your garden? Please share with me in the comments below what you grow, for whom and why. (Does it just remind you of them? Was it their favorite?)

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes