Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.
Georgia O’Keeffe
A dear friend introduced me several year’s ago to the beautiful paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. She framed a set of commemorative Georgia O’Keeffe stamps that had the above quote. That quote has stuck with me to this day and speaks to what friendship is about for me.
And this Thursday is my mom’s birthday. She turns 82 years young. She does not act like she is 82 and does not want to live with 
old people. She likes to be independent and still drives. Her health has not be the best of late, but she hopes to sell her house and move into an apartment not necessarily at a seniors facility. She was supposed to visit last summer, but became too ill to travel here.
My mom and I are both Geminis which explains why there are times we butt heads…too much alike. But most of the time since I have been adult, we have formed a strong friendship and call each other to talk about our various triumphs and tribulations. I was her therapist during my dad’s long illness and we held each other up throughout his funeral all those year’s ago. I consider her a close friend as well as my mom.
So for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day (GBBD), I will be highlighting 2 flowers I grow in my garden that have special meaning for me, and that Georgia O’Keeffe painted; poppies and irises.
I am linking in with Carol@May Dreams Gardens, where she hosts GBBD on the 15th of every month.
Let’s start with the poppies that are blooming in my garden. Poppies can mean Eternal Sleep, Oblivion and Imagination.
This is a salmon colored poppy that I love in my front garden. The orange poppy is also in the front even though I moved it last year. Some remained and bloomed bigger than ever. I love how poppies appear as though they are made of folded paper. They glow when the light of the sun hits them.
Iris are a particular favorite flower of mine, and I have so many now growing that I hardly know their names except for a few. This year the iris in the beds are growing bigger and better than in past years. The cold winter kept many of the Siberian iris on the short side. All of my irises need to be divided. That big job will be done in late summer or fall. The only ones that did not bloom are those that are in the now dried up rain gardens.
Iris have many special meanings: Your Friendship Means So Much to Me, Faith; Hope and Wisdom to name a few.
This is one of the few yellow ones that I have, and I think this one was given to me by a fellow blogger. Most of my iris are some variation of purple.
This one I know was given to me by Becky@Plants and Stones. It has really grown in.
These irises are in the white garden. There are 2 Siberian and 1 bearded variety.
I was happy and surprised to see so many Siberian irises blooming before the bearded iris this year soon after I came home from the hospital, and they have lasted for a couple of weeks. I have even spied hummers drinking from the Siberian irises.
This bearded iris is ‘Batik”. It needs dividing as it only flowers a third of what it used to. I adore the painted look of the petals.
This Siberian iris was given to me by a dear friend when she moved. I lost the tag years ago but it is one of my favorites as it holds great sentiment for me.
There are many lessons I take from my garden. Right now I am learning that it is vital to take time for the important things in my life and garden. Most important is time to heal so I can enjoy bountiful health. The seeds I plant need to have time to grow properly. If they are not given the right light, water, soil and nutrients they cannot grow to flower or fruit.
And I know when I plant anything in my garden, I am sowing seeds that will blossom into lasting relationships. It’s as if I am with friends and family when I walk around my garden.
I am sharing this lesson with Beth@PlantPostings for her wonderful Garden Lessons Learned meme. I hope you will join her.
A flower touches everyone’s heart. ~Georgia O’Keeffe
As the summer solstice approaches, I hope you will consider joining in my seasonal meme. Write a post and tell us how you celebrate your summer or summer memories? Of course in the Southern hemisphere, we want to hear about your winter celebrations.
Below you can read the details about both Beth’s and my meme.
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Come Join Us:
Seasonal Celebrations is a time for marking the change of seasons and what is happening in your part of the world during this time. I hope you will join in by creating a post telling us how you celebrate this time of year whether summer or winter or something else. Share your traditions, holidays and celebrations in pictures and words.
And it seems so appropriate to collaborate with Beth and her Lessons Learned meme. What lessons have you learned this past season of summer here in the North and winter in the South. Then tell us about your wishes, desires and dreams for this new season.
The rules are simple. Just create a post that talks about lessons learned and/or seasonal celebrations. If you are joining in for both memes please leave a comment on both our blog posts. Or if you are choosing to join only one meme, leave a comment on that blog post. Make sure to include a link with your comment.
Beth and I will do a summary post of our respective memes on the solstice (around the 21st of June). And we will keep those posts linked on a page on our blog. Your post should be linked in the weekend before the solstice to give us enough time to include your post in our summary. And if you link in a bit late, never fear we will include it on the special blog page (which I still have to create). The badges here can be used in your post. So won’t you join in the celebration!!
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Next up on the blog: Next Monday I will highlight some of the great foliage in the garden.
I am linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Tuesday.
I hope you will join me for my posts once a month at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. My most recent post is up already.
I can also be found blogging once a month at Vision and Verb.
As always, I’ll be joining Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
I am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.
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