My Mother loved to grow anything but her Flocks were special. Mom bought some flock roots from a lady in Bras D'or and from these roots came a beautiful Flock display. Our earth was poor in our yard in Cape Breton but the flower garden flourished in spite of it. Many colours made a real contribution to our back and front yard.
When I moved to the Ottawa valley and owned my first home Mom gave me a few roots to plant. I was visiting home and making the traditional walk through her backyard when she took a shovel and plucked some roots into a pail. I never thought that they would live through our home travel but they were planted in excellent soil as soon as we arrived home and they did well.
That year they survived and grew to a large and healthy state. The following year I was greeted to a fine display of white and red blooms. I moved a year later to a newer home and took the flocks with me. Again they grew and as I moved more times I always took Mom's Flocks along for the ride. One year we had terrible rust on the flowers and I thought they were a goner.
Mom came to visit a few times and she always looked for her flowers. She passed away at a young age and I kept her memory fresh with the cultivation of these flocks. After several more moves we settled here in Ontario and the flowers flourished. I mentioned once to my older sister that I had some of Mom's flocks and she wondered if I could spare a few. I brought some roots home to Cape Breton and the circle was complete. Her husband was a wonderful Gardner and he grew the flowers with great success.
Here in my back yard I have a little plot reserved for the flocks. Every year they are a different colour and this year they are blue or mauve. After a half century of travelling with me they have found a home here with us.
When I moved to the Ottawa valley and owned my first home Mom gave me a few roots to plant. I was visiting home and making the traditional walk through her backyard when she took a shovel and plucked some roots into a pail. I never thought that they would live through our home travel but they were planted in excellent soil as soon as we arrived home and they did well.
That year they survived and grew to a large and healthy state. The following year I was greeted to a fine display of white and red blooms. I moved a year later to a newer home and took the flocks with me. Again they grew and as I moved more times I always took Mom's Flocks along for the ride. One year we had terrible rust on the flowers and I thought they were a goner.
Mom came to visit a few times and she always looked for her flowers. She passed away at a young age and I kept her memory fresh with the cultivation of these flocks. After several more moves we settled here in Ontario and the flowers flourished. I mentioned once to my older sister that I had some of Mom's flocks and she wondered if I could spare a few. I brought some roots home to Cape Breton and the circle was complete. Her husband was a wonderful Gardner and he grew the flowers with great success.
Here in my back yard I have a little plot reserved for the flocks. Every year they are a different colour and this year they are blue or mauve. After a half century of travelling with me they have found a home here with us.
This is so touching! What a beautiful way to remember our loved ones. This is inspirational!
ReplyDeleteWe have done the same thing with my Grandmother's red peony. We have spread them all over the country and to cemeteries.
ReplyDeleteI have a hydrangea and nut tree with a similar story :)
ReplyDeletewcn
I think I had some of those in my yard too!
ReplyDeleteThis is the same spirit in which we all have some of Doris' Christmas cactus. Nice post Dad.