Why Flowers?

I’m sure many of you might be wondering why I am so excited to get a large flower garden going. Flowers will not really provide me with food for cooking. Flowers can be a lot of work. I used to even tell people around Valentine’s Day that flowers die and leave it at that. I was a bit of a flower grinch I guess. Yet, here I am buying hundreds of packets of seeds, tubers and bulbs to create a flower garden of dreams this summer. So, like many of you might be wondering, I too, am wondering “why?”.

My Grammy passed away when I was in 1st grade. There are not many things that I remember directly from our interactions. I remember going over to her house and this cool basement she had with a record player. I remember dancing for her when she was in a nursing home. I feel like I can remember her voice, but honestly, that might just be from old home videos. What I know about her is a longer list. One of the things I know is that she loved to garden and had beautiful peonies. After she passed, my mother dug some up from her back yard and planted them in ours. Each year after, we would take a jar of cut peonies to leave on her grave on Memorial Day.

There was one year my father and I bought tulip bulbs and planted them in the fall. I still remember anxiously waiting for the blooms to appear after the foliage had pushed through the ground. It seemed like the first sign that the earth was waking up and coming back to life for the season. 

 This year, I had told a friend that I had bought several seed packets of sweet peas. I was hoping (and still am) that they can survive the Tennessee heat for a bit. She quickly exclaimed, “That was one of mamma’s favorite flowers!” Her mother had recently passed and when the flower was mentioned, it instantly gave her a sweet memory to reflect on.

So, my first answer to the question on why I’m growing flowers; it’s a connection.

It connects us to those who have passed. It summons fond memories of those we loved, even if we ourselves can not quite remember that detail. Whenever I see peonies, I think of Grammy and her love for them. I think it gives us a connection to those still with us too. When I planted tulips this fall, I remembered back to when I was a girl planting tulips with my father. I love talking with friends and family about which flower seeds I ordered this year, what they have ordered or grown in the past and the luck or lack there of that they have had with different flower types.

My second answer is the excitement it brings. There is something almost thrilling about seeing buds on the stems that you planted from seed. The way the petals sleepily open into full grand blooms. Between giving me something to always read up on and learn, this is why I love gardening in general. From the time a plant germinates and you see a small green shoot to the rapid growth into a full strong plant – watching that transformation is pretty incredible.

I hope to bring some beauty and joy to your feed…

My third answer is the beauty. Yes, I used to be a flower grinch. However, since growing my own flowers, I have really come to appreciate the charm each one brings to this world. From the wild flowers in the field to the ones in my garden I have tended to and cared for, I am in awe of their delicate beauty. It brings joy to my heart.

I hope that my feed brings some joy and light to your day too! While I have goals with growing all of these flowers, at the end of the day, this is my why. Please comment below and let me know any memories you have of loved ones and flowers. Let me know what flowers you love the most or which ones you would like to see in my garden! I am so excited to share this journey with you.