When I began this journey around my
yard, I had no idea how many different specimens are represented; many examples
have been gifts or something that Otto rooted and planted. Over
the years he was given cuttings from his customers and several varieties were
gifts from family and friends that he named and cherished.
I have two different varieties of
gardenias, one that is a large version that blooms prolifically during the hot
summer months and one that is a ground hugging type that blooms twice, in the
summer and again in the fall of the year. We
have shared cuttings of both to gardeners who were interested.
When we moved from southwest Georgia
over thirty years ago, Nanny rooted several gardenias from her yard and gave
them to us as a remembrance gift, she had treasured memories about gardenias and
although she enjoyed viewing the blossoms, she was not particularly fond of the
strong aroma.
The original gardenia plant was in her
yard in Terrell County and possibly came from Hanner's Nursery or maybe a
neighbor. In her day, gardenias were used in
arrangements for weddings and funerals so that memory lingered with her and she
remarked about it often.
The first black American to be
nominated and the first to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel who wore gardenias
in her hair the evening she accepted the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actress for her role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.” Sadly,
she was not allowed to attend the Hollywood festivities because she was black,
but in later years she became the first black woman to own her own radio
station.
A gardenia is an evergreen shrub that
is related to the coffee plant; the beautiful bright white flowers will turn
brown when water touches the blossom. Gardenias
are the chosen flower for men in France to wear as a boutonniere whereas in
America, our gentlemen usually choose a red rose. Years
ago we rescued one Amaryllis from the dying plant section at Lowe's garden
center; today there are about twenty five.
My yard is filled with watermelon-red
colored oleander bushes that were all propagated from one plant that I received
as a birthday gift years ago. The plant is poison to humans but only if you
ingest the flowers or stems. In a prominent
space at the corner of my porch is a tea olive bush, it was a favorite of my
dear friend Genie Hargrove and was planted there in her memory. It
is a constant reminder of our friendship and that we shared Jesus as our Lord
and Savior.
A favorite flower grows in containers
on my porch; Gerber daisies are hearty, have blooms that are substantial enough
to use in arrangements, and will over-winter with minimum care. There
are various colors in my assortment but the dark red one that was a gift from my
work sister Sharon Leverett years ago, it continues to thrive and remind me of
our longtime friendship.
