There are many ways we connect as human beings to each other. Times shared together bond us in ways that nothing else does. Memories of acts of kindness or gifts of kindness are etched in our hearts and become little parts of us which connect us together as well.
One way my mom and I were connected was by flowers and gardening. I remember so well her tending our flowerbeds on Lockhart with such diligence. The "tending to" was not always her favorite part, but the end result and seeing the fruits of her labor was always what kept her going. Mom had all kinds of plants. What was neat about our flowers is that most all of them were given to us by someone else. She rarely bought plants. Tulips and chrysanthemums mainly were what she would buy for just those seasons. Our yard was literally a flower tapestry.... little bits of someone else's family's heritage passed on to us. Plants came especially from my aunt and my grandmother's and grandfather's yards, also in Dilworth .
What is nice is that today I connect with others who do the same thing of gifting or sharing plants. My aunt and my mother in law continue this tradition in different ways with different plants....Easter lilies, hydrangeas, coreopsis, etc. Sometimes it is a gift from me for Easter or Mother's Day or a birthday. My mother in law loves gardening too and she is always wonderful about telling me how the plants I've given her are doing! I love it! My mom would divide plants which became crowded, dug up tulips for a season and replanted them, trimmed forsythia bushes, roses, and camellias. Iris were always in our front flower bed for as long as I can remember. Later they were divided and moved to other spots in the backyard alongside Dad's workshop, we lovingly referred to as "The Shop".
Late August of 1999, my mom called me over to the house and told me to bring a "bucket for bulbs". She wanted me to take some of the bulbs we'd enjoyed for so many years to my house for transplanting. It was "time to pass down some heritage".
"Don't you want some iris? They will multiply in your yard and are hardy." she told me. "I know you want some of your "little purple hyacinths too," she added.
It was this day she and I were on our hands and knees digging in the dirt together which I remember so vividly. The day I brought daffodil, iris, and hyacinth bulbs to my house on Smith. We left some behind for the new owner. She would not have minded if I had taken more than I did, but I felt as she did, that leaving some behind would be a nice gesture for the new owner of the house.
Deciding where to plant them at my house was easy. I chose the front yard flowerbeds as opposed to the backyard. I had light purple, white, and yellow Bearded Iris. Unfortunately, when I planted them I had no idea what was what. They bloomed by our driveway for years and multiplied and were absolutely gorgeous every April. I had to divide them myself on 2 different occasions. It was no easy task, but worth it. I gave many away to friends and it is fun to drive up to one of my friend's houses in Fort Mill and see the Lockhart Iris blooming so beautifully in her yard. I just love it!
Maybe it was ingrained in me by my mother to pass on family history or in my case, "take a little bit of heaven and history" with you when you move. I had divided and transplanted yellow and purple iris all over our flowerbeds on Smith. In the side yard, in the back---in 2 different places, where ever I could find room, I transplanted them. The result was that I always had lots of flowers to share. Growing large amounts of iris was a blessing because I cut bouquets for those years they were so plentiful and brought them to people in skilled nursing, or to my mom, or to my neighbor, or to anyone I thought might could use a little bright spot in their day.
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| One patch of iris from Smith |
I enjoy giving flowers to others so much, the thoughts of being a florist have crossed my mind. The smiles on the receiving end of flowers....my goodness.... who wouldn't want a job that brought that kind of joy?
From the time those Lockhart bulbs bloomed in our yard, I loved bringing my mom some of "her" flowers each spring. I know she loved receiving them. I loved the faces of the ladies in the retirement community, during Mom's last years with us, especially Mrs. Leonard and Ms. Willie. When I brought them bouquets, Ms. Willie at age 102 would just sit in her wheel chair and stare at them and couldn't take her eyes off the blossoms at the dining table. They would be gone in a week or less, but I knew for that week, she had a little piece of heaven and a little piece of Poston love with her.
I always decided after sharing flowers that I'd always want to grow enough in my yard for me to share. I still feel that way today. Since I have started over I have a long way to go!
When our house went on the market 2 years ago I was bound and determined to take flowers with me. It was going to be tricky, because I would not be able to plant them right away. We had to move to a temporary apartment until our new house was built. That muggy, hot week of August before we moved, I found myself under the River Birch digging up daffodils and hyacinths. While I was there, I had our 12 year old son digging up iris. He was such a help. Digging up the iris was much easier than digging up the other bulbs. They grew in shallow soil. Joseph was a champ and was so very helpful that day! I was so proud of him.
All of the iris which didn't dry out in paper bags I planted here at the new house. Not having much flower bed space at all, and keeping hungry deer in mind, I put them in the front and back, just to get them in the ground in early spring of last year. I didn't expect them to bloom, but at least they would grow some roots. I knew I'd have to wait another entire year to see them bloom.
It has been worth the wait! They are beautiful this year!
Subconsciously I planted them on the same exact side of our new house as they were at the old house. The left front corner flowerbed... actually all I was thinking at the time was "Where do I have space??" and I put them there. I have no purple iris, even though I dug many up. They must not have made it and been some of the ones dried out during our transition time of moving.
Every blooming plant I've seen this year is yellow.
The Lockhart yellow!
A piece of my mother is in those blooms. A piece of heaven and a piece of my history too, which I would have regretted leaving on Smith. I am so happy that this plant has lovingly been spread so many places. I do not know if they exist on Lockhart anymore. My guess is probably not. That's ok. I've got them with me and they continue to bloom on Smith for our neighbors whom we miss so much.
My mom would have loved that I can still enjoy them. I just wish I could cut a bouquet for her!
We will enlarge our front flowerbeds this year and I've already bought some white and orange Iris to go with the Yellow. The white and orange ones will be our new history here.
A mix of old and new..... I like that very much.
It's so much describes my mother's personality.... appreciating the old and well loved, but happy to enjoy a new garden addition!
