If You Chop It Off, It Will Grow

Rose Garden: I have not written about my garden in years. Flitting between Texas and Georgia for years, I have not had the time to give my gardens the time they needed and to enjoy the results. I had rose, gladiolus, and canna lily gardens and nurtured them with utmost care and devotion.

Experience shows that when we cut "it" (hair, plants, branches, flowers, etc.) off, it grows back quicker, better, and more luxurious. Last December, and for the first time since shuttling between Georgia and Texas, I had the chance to experience the prolonged pleasure of gardening. I chopped the height of my roses in half and slashed the branches. My daughter, Cassie, helped me to spread bales of pine straw on the garden grounds and under the front steps. My brother, Livinus, helped me to mulch them.

I was walking along the path on Easter Sunday, and the beauty of the rose garden stopped me in my tracks. Even as I stood admiring my newly cut and mulched garden, I observed some vacant spaces and realized that I had lost my yellow, off-white, and other roses over the years in my absence.

The roses that survived must be the most resilient that no person, disease, or pest could kill. The result warmed my heart. The labor of chopping off most of the roses paid off beautifully.  
   
   
Gladiolus Garden: I created the garden for Cassie with different colors of gladiolus. It was a spectacular garden. As the flowers grew, they became more dramatic. I arrived home one day from Texas, and the gladiolus garden had vanished. No one bothered to explain or to apologize for its disappearance.
According to Teleflora, "Gladiola represents strength and moral integrity – not surprising when you consider that its name comes from the Latin word for sword, "gladius." But while its sword-shaped stems may imply Roman gladiators, its romantic flowers are capable of piercing a heart with their beauty – explaining why infatuation is another one of its meanings as well."

Canna Lily Garden: Just as gladiolus are dramatic, canna lilies are stunning. I went to service my silver Toyota Corolla in 2012 at the family-owned garage. One of the brothers and I were talking, and the topic of gardening came up. Their mother had been an avid gardener. Since she passed away, no one seemed interested in continuing her legacy. He offered me several bulbs of canna lilies that had sprouted. 

They were enough to line one side of my driveway, a length of 30 - 40 feet. The roses were down and directly in front of the house. Both the gladiolus and the canna lilies were up the hill on either side of the driveway. My yard would have made Chloris (Flora) proud. Like the gladiolus, the canna lilies were uprooted and discarded without any word of explanation or apology. 

--Frances Ohanenye maintains this unusual site. Click on the "Open Source Cooking" tab for enlightening information. Thanks for visiting. Have a fruitful day!