JoAnne's Archive

Enchanted Gardens
by JoAnne Leone

This Saturday, August 21st , the Farmers Market will be featuring our 2nd Annual Flower Show. The flower show will be located at our annex, the Harelson Memorial Civic Center on Wellborn Rd. and is open to the public from 8AM-2PM. It's a special kind of farmer that grows a bounty of beauty for the eye to feast upon. I knew such a farmer.

Raised in the Great Lakes “Snow Belt”, we had a very short growing season. It wasn't uncommon to see the first snowflakes cover the earth in early October and still have a covering on Mother's Day. This short season never deterred my mother. She loved her flower gardens. As soon as the ground defrosted, she began her magic.

We had a split level home, and the long, stretch of walkway to the front door was showcased by a beautiful rock garden. Hens and chicks, sweet alyssum in violet and white, lilies of the valley, porchulacas, and a plethora of flowering ground cover peaked their way around rocks and cascaded the steps. The house was also surrounded by magnificent azaleas and rhododendron that seemed to bloom into summer.

Mom's pride and joy, though, was her cut flower garden. First, the bulb plants would make their way out of the defrosting tundra. My favorites were always the pastel tulips. A pink tulip, as its heavy flower bends its stem, reminds me of a ballerina taking a graceful bow. As the narcissus and tulips started to lose their luster, the parade of flowering soldiers began to line up.

The back row was reserved for the gladiolus. Tall and stately, they seemed to hold court over the rest of the more tender varieties. On each end there was foxglove, with their bell shaped flower enchanting a young girl's imagination. I wondered if Mother Nature ever made them ring, and if she did, who was lucky enough to hear their song.

Taking center stage was such a variety of shapes, fragrances and color; it was a smorgasbord for one's senses. Peonies, Phlox, Dahlias, Bachelor Buttons, Dianthus, Aster and Zinnias played one upsmanship with each other. Mom had a special knack for growing an abundance of snap dragons. And that was fine with me. To this day, I'm overcome with joy when I see a bouquet of these unique shaped flowers.

Bouquet! Isn't that a wonderful word? The word alone can relax you. And Mom always had vases filled with bouquets throughout our home. We didn't have fans or air conditioning. All summer, the windows were open, and the cross breezes flung the fragrances of the bouquets across the room. It was a home filled with love and with laughter, good food from the bounty of Dad's garden and it was graced by the beauty of Mom's efforts from her enchanted gardens.

Gardeners, we invite you to bring your flowers to show. Entries will be accepted at the Harelson Memorial Civic Center on Friday, August 20th, from 9am – 3 pm. There is no entry fee. Come display your horticultural treasures and floral designs. For additional information, contact Jo Anne Allen 706-400-8139 or Barbara Baumgardner 706-835-2812.