Mom's Flox

I left home at a young age to make my way through life but I never turned my back on my past years in Cape Breton. One of my fondest memories was learning to love gardening through helping Mom look after her flowers and small kitchen garden. Our soil was poor as it was contaminated by mining debris and pit stone. Through years of building up the soil Mom and Dad developed a great potato patch and a vegetable garden.

Mom was most proud of her flowers, and the one in particular was her flox. Mom got her first flox from a woman who sold them from her home in Bras D'or. This lady had a spectacular showy flower garden. Mom planted her flox around our yard and they were multi-coloured. In the early sixties I had a home visit and before leaving Mom gave me a few roots from her flox.

With instructions as to how to make them flourish I packed them in the car. I was living in Pembroke at the time and with good soil the flowers made a great showing immediately. One year they were hit by rust and I phoned home and Mom gave me the answer as to how to get rid of it: move the plants every couple of years. It seemed to work.

When I moved the flowers moved with me and now I have one small clump in the back yard. This year they are beautiful with a nice colouring. My flox change colour  every so often but always return to the pink eventually. I trust that I shall be able to keep these flowers alive and well and able to pass them on to one of my family. Flowers are a beautiful reminder of someone as dear to you as your Mom. Our lipstick vine is really putting on a show this year as well.