Blossoming and blooming

Behind the Flower Gardener

Growing up, I identified more with my mom’s maiden name “Bloom” than I did with my own maiden name. My Bloom grandmother was always growing impatiens, gloriosa daisies, petunias, gladiolas, lilacs, and rhododendrons in her front flower beds, around her house, and in her backyard. My mom kept this love of flowers growing but with her daffodils in bloom around Easter Sunday, peonies in bloom near the end of the school year, and yellow daylilies during the middle of the summer.

The one rule to flowers was to never pick them. So, when I met my husband, I instructed him to only buy me flowers in dirt. A bit stubborn. And so, he did, but he also came down with a bouquet of wildflowers in the first summer of dating. Daylilies, brown-eyed Susans, probably milkweed that neither one of us knew what it was at the time- whether it was a weed or a flower. My journey cutting flowers started. I added some hydrangeas from the old farmhouse to that vase of flowers.

I broke the rules.

At my own home now years later, I keep to the rule and continue to break the rule. I’m in the middle where I just love all flowers- cutting flowers, bedding flowers, and companion flowers. I’ve noticed with cut flower farmers, they tend to have beautiful bouquets, but lack in a beautiful flower garden space. That isn’t for me.

I grew up with flower gardeners where you don’t pick the blooms. That isn’t for me either, even if I try, I’m out making a bouquet! Also, I can’t leave a vegetable garden looking all green and being bare of flowers. That isn’t for me. So, I plant marigolds, nasturtiums, calendulas, and more throughout my vegetable garden adding such vibrancy of colors to a green and brown background.

I’m a lover of all types of flowers, but I will say I stray away from anything that is thorny besides raspberries and roses- and those two are just lucky that they look so good!