Earliest garden memories ...

Recalling my first garden? Had to be Miss Shirley at the children's home when I was 6-8 years old. This lady had masses of Morning Glories surrounding the front door to our dorm. Then there was an absolutely smashing array of color on each side alongside the windows at ground level so you could see them inside. The shrubbery surrounding the brick bldg. was cleared out behind so there were all our play houses where we fought, fussed and served mud pies from little tin dishes to all the dolls. This same lady had potted indoor plants sitting on those window sills, hanging. She also had an art collection over each bed. And, Yes, this was a children's home, unusual though.

For punishment, however, we pulled weeds from these everlasting gardens. Oh, man, that sticker grass in Texas, that pepper grass wld. cut the fingers. The enormous veg. gardens, as we got older, were there for the taking. What tastes good raw? Potatoes, turnips, onions, green beans, others I'm sure. Fruit trees, yes, but we'd be in serious trouble. I still adore flowers in my yards, all kinds.

Well, I was born in Manhattan. But while my father was away at war, in the summertime, my mother would take me to her parent's house in the country, upstate New York.Ohhhhh! What gardens!! And I was the picker-girl!My granny had beds of annuals around the house-simple things like Petunias, and Nasturtiums, but HOW they grew, in the country.The annuals needed picking every day, and I was just the right height to do this! All around the little house were vases and pitchers laden with the flowers. And I was so aware of the smells-a handful of plain old Petunias has a fabulous smell! Same theNasturtiums. Marigolds, later on-so spicey and heavenly to brush against.
And if this was not enough for one small girl to pick, there was the Lavender-growing more and more luxuriant each year. Granny would tie the bundles with ribbon and put them in the linen chest. MMMMMMMMMMM! The sun-dried sheets, scented also of Lavender!

Then there was the pail.A typical milk pail.At 5 o'clock, we'd take it to the neighboring farmer's, and bring it home full of frothy, sweet-smelling milk (those cows grazed grass!)
During the day, though, I'd be given the pail, and instructed to fill it with the fruit of the season--wild strawberries in June, wild raspberries in July, wild blueberries (Huckelberries!) in August.
Of course a kid always had to taste the berries.MMMMMMM!
And then my granny would make pies.MMMMM!

My grandfather had a small truck garden. Beans, cukes, carrots, potatoes, squash. He would sell to the people from the bungalow colonies near-by. Sometimes I was allowed to help. Until the family overheard me responding to a lady's question of "Are the beans nice?" I said"Well , maybe, but WE don't use them anymore." Hmmmm.No more helping out for me!

From the garden, my grandfather and I would dig teeny new potatoes for lunch sometimes.Granny would boil them in their jackets, split them, and serve with sour cream. MMMMMMMM!

So-MMMMMM! is my memory of my earliest garden!

Gee Joan, that sounds wonderful, and delicious!

Ah, my first garden was a completely magical place where I lived from age 2 until age 7, when my mother started her pattern of moving every other year. It was my mother's first house (Copaigue, Long Island, New York), and she went wild with the garden - tall zinnias, marigolds, blue morning glories growing up to the second floor in the summer, fabulous roses...pink Queen Elizabeth, red velvet Chrysler Imperial, climbing yellow Peace, and climbing red Blaze. Both climbers were trained to grow horizontally on the wooden fence, and I remember laying on the ground on an old mat I brought out under Blaze, and looking up through the brilliant red flowers, green leaves, to the bright blue sky above - absolutely heavenly! Once my mother called, and I got up too fast, and injured my head on the thorns - ouch! And in the spring, we had yellow forsytheas, red and purple tulips, and daffodils with white petals and yellow trumpets. In the backyard there was a fantastic vegetable garden, and also many wild blackberry bushes - the most wonderful garden I have ever had, although certainly I have constructed beautiful gardens myself, but none will be as special as that one that lives always in memory.

Piffy, It WAS wonderful, and delicious!!

My mother loved the original Peace rose. She had one in every yard we had... probably at least six that I can think of.

I have a closer association with trees than gardens... thinking of delicious, Joan, I'm reminded of the Mulberry Tree in Iowa, where I spent a summer. IT was not in my g-parents' yard, but next to it and the neighbors let us climb it and eat all the mulberries we wanted. They don't taste that good, but the tree's bark was so smooth, and the branches were great for climbing. As long as we were perched up there anyway, we ate those watery, nearly tasteless berries and stained ourselves and our clothes. Great fun!

One of my favorites in childhood and in my own rose garden

We had grape arbors, and the trumpet vines climbed up the vines, luring the humming birds in to dine. We had cherries, apples, black and red raspberries, strawberries, and so many good vegetables. We had a salt cellar in an old cabinet behind a shed by the garden for use when eating tomatoes--which was a resort for the suddenly hungry child. Lilies of the valley grew in the shade on the north side of the house, in profusion amidst the minature black hillocks on either side of the coal shute. Across the drive were the lilac bushes--the strongest, loveliest scent of my childhood. We lived in a bower, which i only discovered by comparison to the sadly impoverished state of the places i have lived in since.

Lovely rose, Joanne. And nice memories Setanta. My grandma loved her lilies of the valley -- they certainly spread nicely.

Oh,I love Lilyof the Vally! (And they even grow well in shade!) So special to pick-you pull them just the right way,and the long stem seperates from the plant.

Piffy,is the original Peace Rose pink? I had a Star Peace Rosebush. It grew a pretty shade of pink roses, with the faintest yellow at the ends of the petals. Very large, they were-almost looking like cabbage roses.And WONDERFUL-smelling! Lasted forever cut, too.

The photo Joanne Dorel put up was what I'd call the Original Peace rose. It isn't really pink or yellow, but that nice mix. The smell of it was heavenly -- had huge flowers.

My favorite rose fragrance though is raspberry. I think Peace was more sweet than fruity.

Yes, the flowers were huge, but for some reason the Peace climbing rose of my childhood I remember as all yellow (unfortunately, all my photos of the garden are black and white so I can't check now...). My mother used to pick bouquets and give them to anyone who admired them. There are actually three 'peace' roses - the original Peace - usually yellow with pink edges (lovely story connected with that - how it was smuggled out of France during the Nazi occupation, and how it signified the hope for peace after WW II), Chicago Peace, which is more shades of pink (it was a sport of Peace found in a Chicago rose garden), and Pink Peace, which is solid dark pink, and I think not really related to the original 'Peace' rose.

Peace I remember as having a light fragrance. Chrysler Imperial - now that red rose had a very strong classic rose scent. My favorite rose scent is also fruity - but more like apples to me - of apricot roses such as 'Brandy' or 'Oldtimer.' Unfortunately, both are not very hardy here in Pennsylvania (they seem to grow best on the west coast and in warmer areas to the south). Lately, I've been mixing old fashioned roses in my rose garden - my favorite is 'Rose de Rescht' - a very old rose from Persia - and I did see it growing in Iran!

Apples, huh? I always think of raspberries. I don't know the names of the roses that are good that way. That's why I like to go to a Rose Garden... to give them all the sniff test and determine which one is best. What a nice way to spend some time!

Rose de Rescht? Great to think how old it might be and who all may have sniffed it with pleasure.

Patty, there ARE roses described as smelling like raspberries! Usually, they are the purple shades. I forget which ones! So, maybe there is a range from classic rose to apples to raspberries...you would know better! I just go by the book descriptions, or personal recommendations.

It's the sniff test for me!

Ginny Chrysler Imperial is one rose I always include, I think it is by far the most beautiful of the reds but the reds are never as fragrant as the others. In addtion to Peace I love tropicans which is orange/red but has great smell I cannot described it from memory but the scent fills the house.

how did i lose track of this thread? wonderful garden memories.

my father had wonderful rose bushes for about 25 years. my aunt used to give him a new one each year for his birthday. i remember those wonderful peace roses.

my current favourite is

Rosa Lancome ® ´Delboip´ - a beautiful, raspberry-scented long stem. Mine seem a bit more fuschia-ey in the sunlight. Beautiful.

My grandmother died in 1975. I took a pot of mums from the funeral home and planted them. They came up and bloomed for a few years and then continued to come up with 1 or two sprigs until 2000 - the year I sold Mom and Dad's house. Twenty-five years they kept returning, Thanks for the Memories!

Wonderful about the mums, Bill.

My parents have some peonies that they got from our darling Bob and Anneliese about 45 years ago. I'm trying to score a clump for my house. I want to keep my memory of them 'visible'.