When I found the three pictures below in a box of old family photos, they took my breath away. My mother grew the flowers. Took the pictures too. She died seventeen years ago and was sick for several years before that so they have to be at least twenty years old. I wonder if she realized just how beautiful they were. Even if she had – she wouldn’t have had a way to share them with the world. Not the way we do nowadays. So here they are!!
She loved flowers and art of all kinds. And she loved learning. She wasn’t a professional gardener – nor was she a professional photographer. But my guess is that she could have been. She earned the distinction of Master Gardener. And she had a camera with lots of lenses that took forever to focus. (Or at least it seemed that way whenever I was her designated subject.) She even set up a darkroom in the basement.
Though it was these three photographs that inspired me to bring My Favorite Gardens Notecards to the marketplace, myfavoritegardens.com is not just about the photographs. And it’s not just about pretty flowers and gardens. It’s mostly about how easy and rewarding gardening can be – and it’s about sharing this discovery with others with the hope that they will join in and reap the rewards too.
You see – I know very little about gardening. I buy plants I like, plant them and then if they don’t thrive, I move them to a different spot. When my experimenting results in something that looks good, I take a picture to help me remember what I did. Here are a few of my favorite gardens.
These gardens bring me great joy. The beauty of the flowers themselves. The birds and butterflies they attract.
Sometimes visitors comment on these gardens. Often they say things like, “I could never do that.” Or, “I know nothing about gardening.”
I don’t know a lot either except that being outside, digging in the dirt and nurturing these plants provides me with rewards like nothing else (read more under “Why Garden?”). I also know what flowers are in the gardens featured here. And so – if you like one of them, feel free to use it as a guide (details about each garden – see menu at left).
And then – I hope you will get out there and dig and love it!
P.S. Even if you choose not to dig, you can still enjoy the beauty of the gardens by ordering the notecards for yourself or others. They are great for hostess gifts!
