Gardening with Grandma

Smells as beautiful as it looks!

Spring is coming, I know it! It just has to, right? There's ten inches of snow of the ground, how can spring be right around the corner?  One of my most adored verses and my adopted mantra keeps me hopeful: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" was said by Laozi. I didn't have to try to hard to see spring.  My beautiful hoya is blooming despite the snow!

My hoya is the most coveted plant in our home. It was given to me by my grandmother when she moved to an apartment in 1999. I can still remember how she let it hang around the window near the back door of her basement. It now sits in my kitchen and is thriving. I've never seen so many blooms! It sweetens the kitchen with it's perfume and the clusters of blooms are stunning. I've been thinking a lot about my grandmother these past few days. Her health has taken a turn for the worst after fracturing her hip.  She's also suffering from Alzheimer's. Right now, she's in the hospital recovering, so I'm taking her the hoya blooms this weekend to cheer her up.

Hoya in the kitchen

I am blessed that my grandmother loved to garden and took the time to share that love with me.  She always had a large fenced-in veggie garden every summer. It was so much fun to help her in the garden. She'd grow morning glories every year and let them run through the chicken wire fence. Those soft, delicate blooms would welcome me into her garden.  This year, I've purchased 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory seeds so they can climb the chicken wire fence surrounding our veggie garden. I'm so excited to start the seeds and get growing! Recreating the magic of my grandmother's garden is pure nostalgia for me and inspiration for my two little girls!